Blood Guilt
by FlyingBlueJay
Summary: The fourth installment of the Blood Stories. Charlie asks Alex and Jacob to find the father of a girl who's just lost its mother in a mysterious murder. Not so easy when distracted by their raging desires for each other. Rated M for mature themes.
1. Teasing

**Chapter 01: Teasing**

Jacob woke slowly in the morning, savoring the feeling of the soft sheets, the light of a mid-May sun spilling through the window and, most of all, the warm body that was pressed with its back to his bare chest.

With his eyes still closed he let his hand roam over the nude curve of Alex's hip, down her leg as far as he could reach and up again, along her side until he reached her shoulder where he knew her black and blue butterfly tattoo to be. He bent down and kissed the area then nuzzled his nose into the thick mane of curls that covered the crook of her neck, inhaling the coconut scent of her shampoo deep into his lungs.

How he'd ever been able to be without Alex was a mystery to him. They'd been a couple for four and a half months, ever since New Year's Eve when he'd kissed her for the first time at midnight. Now he couldn't imagine greater bliss than waking up beside her in the morning.

She stretched slightly under his continued caressing as his hand moved down to her bare stomach, trailing up until just under the swell of her breasts. With a moan she opened her eyes, turning her head to smile at him.

"Good morning," she said, turning around in his arms, so she was facing him. He could feel her breasts pushing against his chest and he groaned in appreciation, burying his face in her curls again.

"Morning," he murmured back. He felt her shiver as his breath encircled the skin of her throat. Brushing her hair out of the way he began to kiss and suck at the sensitive skin on the side of her neck, loving the salt-tinged flavor of it.

She chuckled, pressing her upper thigh against his hardened erection, making him moan. "Always ready," she said quietly. He could hear the excitement in her voice, but also a hint of sadness and immediately knew that things weren't about to proceed. At least not yet.

With a sigh he pulled back and readjusted the thin covers over her upper body. Jacob's high body temperature meant that they didn't really require any sort of blanket. Its only purpose was to cover them in case Charlie walked into the room for whatever reasons. Not that he ever did. Charlie was deadly afraid of walking in on something he didn't want to see.

Charlie hadn't been very pleased when Jacob started sleeping in Alex's bed. But he wasn't naïve enough to believe his niece was still innocent, nor that they would never start having sex. They were both eighteen now anyway, so he didn't have that much to say about what they did or didn't do. Jacob was sure Charlie would have tried the '_As long as you are living under my roof_'-card, if he hadn't been worried that Alex might actually move out. She was not someone who let others dictate her life. So Charlie relented, deciding not to stick his nose in their business as long as they stayed safe. For the sake of complaisance, however, Alex refused to sleep with Jacob as long as Charlie was in the house, particularly if he was in his room just across the hallway. Thank God Charlie had long working hours!

"Charlie's got a morning shift today," she informed him, smirking up at him seductively, her thigh stroking up and down his length. He had to swallow hard to keep from coming undone in that instance. "We've got the house to ourselves once he leaves after breakfast."

"I love it when you talk dirty," he joked, nuzzling her neck one more time. She laughed and sat up, clutching the covers to her chest. The sunlight caught on the silver penguin pendant he'd given her for Christmas. She never took it off.

"You should hit the shower before Charlie sees you like that," she replied, letting her hand caress over the tip of the tent he had pitched between his legs.

"Damn, Lex," he hissed between clenched teeth as his balls instantly tightened.

With another chuckle she got up, dropping the covers and walking over to her closet. He watched her, his eyes roaming over her body. Her skin was slightly tanned from a very sunny past week where they'd spent every possible minute on the beach between school and her shift at the _Lodge_. He watched her nipples go from soft and full to puckered and rigid in the chilly draft that came through the crack she'd left open in the window last night.

She had a tiny birthmark just above her right nipple and he wanted nothing more than to kiss that spot right now. He longed to span her slender waist with both hands and pull her close, but he'd have to wait for that. For now he admired how her hips flared, creating a graceful curve down to her firm thighs.

"Shit, Jake," she cursed when she'd opened the closet door and looked into the full length mirror that hung on the inside. "You gave me a hickey. Now I have to wear a stupid turtleneck again. And it's going to be such nice weather today."

Leaning back he laughed. Suited her right for her teasing. Besides, he liked turtlenecks on her. They fitted tight and pronounced the bombshell curves of her body. And there was something incredibly hot about her being completely covered when he knew just what treasures lay underneath the fabric.

Getting up he grabbed his boxer briefs off the floor and pulled them on. "Sure you don't want to come shower with me?" he asked, wiggling his brows at her.

He watched as her hands stilled on the clasp of the bra she was putting on and had just shut. He could smell the instant arousal coming from her. "Don't tempt me, Jake," she said smiling at him over her shoulder, her eyes heavy-lidded and sultry. "I don't want to give Charlie a heart attack."

"Suit yourself," he said with a shrug. "But I _will_ have you after breakfast." His tone left no room for doubt or argument and he watched the shiver run down her spine, heard her heart rate pick up a faster rhythm.

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><p>Charlie was already sitting at the breakfast table when Alex came down and sat across from him.<p>

"Good morning," he greeted her. Since Jacob started staying over at night he'd stopped asking about how she'd slept.

Grinning, she returned the greeting and went to get herself a bowl of cereal. She was just going back to the table when Jacob came into the room with a broad grin on his face. He must have hurried through his shower with werewolf speed to be done so quickly.

"Morning," he chimed, obviously in a wonderful mood. She could guess why, too. He grabbed a second bowl of cereal and sat down beside Alex.

"So, it's Saturday," Charlie began. "Got any plans?"

"Not yet," Jacob replied, still smiling. Alex nearly choked on her cereal when she felt his hand in her lap under the table. He was sitting close enough so Charlie wouldn't notice.

"It's a nice day out," Charlie continued. Jacob's hands were stroking over the inside of her thigh, moving higher and higher. Alex could feel his blazing heat through the denim of her jeans. Her heart was beating faster again and she struggled to keep her breathing even, making her slightly dizzy as the amount of oxygen in her lungs no longer matched up to the rushing of her blood. She felt the heat coil in her stomach and her loins tighten.

"Yeah, we'll probably head down to the beach a little later," Jacob said, still looking perfectly calm, considering what he was doing to her. She'd created a monster!

Jacob had lost his virginity to her about a month ago, which, she fully admitted, had been extremely thrilling and flattering. But considering that he'd gone eighteen years without sex, he now wanted a lot of it, devouring her almost daily if they could manage and their schedules weren't too full. More than once on the weekends. Not that she was complaining or anything.

His hand moved up, rubbing her core through the jeans, pressing the seam up into her folds. She stifled the moan that nearly escaped her to a strangled, inarticulate sound.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Charlie asked, looking at her with concern.

Jacob's hand applied more pressure, forcing her to restrain the urge to jerk her hips against his fingers. Charlie would notice the sudden movement. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, managing to keep her voice steady. She felt Jacob's hand retreat and clamped her thighs around it, keeping it in place. He could do magic with those fingers and she wasn't about to let him stop now. Not when he already had her so soaking wet. "Just swallowed wrong, that's all." She could see Jacob grinning triumphantly out of the corner of her eye as his fingers made slow circling motions, pressing down every once in a while.

Forcing her breath out evenly, she tried to take a few more bites of her breakfast. Jacob moved up to the button of her jeans and undid it, pulling down the zipper ever so torturously slow to keep it from making a sound.

She sucked in a deep, quick breath when she felt his fingers dip into the front of her jeans and began stroking her through her panties. This time she couldn't stop her hips from pushing forward against his fingers, though she managed to make the move slower and more subtle. By now she'd stopped eating and was gripping the spoon tightly in an effort to keep her sanity as he pushed a finger between her folds and began pressing down on her clit through the fabric. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from screaming out, wishing that Charlie would finally get done with his stupid bacon.

"Well, I'm off," Charlie said and finally stood up after five more minutes of torture.

"Have a nice day at work," Jacob called after him.

Alex waited until she heard the door slam, before she let out a loud moan, throwing her head back and arching her hips into Jacob's touch. Her whole body was shaking. God, she was close. "I'll make you pay for that," she panted, though she admitted to herself that the possibility of getting caught had added considerably to the rush.

"I have no doubt you will," he replied in a dark, husky voice, watching her intensely as he continued rubbing her. "And I'm looking forward to it."

He drew his hand back just before he pushed her over the edge and Alex whimpered at the loss of his touch and warmth. "Don't stop, please," she begged.

"Don't worry, honey," he replied. His face was suddenly really close to hers and she could feel his hot breath caressing over her cheek and throat. "I'm nowhere near done." She shuddered with anticipation. She might have been the one with more experience, but Jacob seemed to be a natural, turning her into puddy in his arms. Which was something she loved about him. He liked taking charge and Alex felt like she could just let go, something she'd never done with any of her previous boyfriends. She'd always preferred to be the one in control.

Suddenly she was standing, Jacob's arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his warm, resilient chest. He was kissing her, pulling her even closer and slanting his mouth across hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His lips were warm and dry, and the inside of his mouth was hot and wet and tasted, very faintly, of milk. His tongue slid against hers, claiming her mouth as her stomach clenched and her knees went weak. His arms around her were taut with muscle, just like the rest of him, too. His body was taller than hers, broader and harder. Excitingly harder. She could feel the unmistakable evidence of his desire pressing against her abdomen and sucked in her breath.

"I love you," she said clearly, because she did and there was just no doing anything about it. It was the first time she'd ever admitted it out loud. He lifted his head and looked down at her, the dark, hard lines of his face accentuated by the lamp that hung behind her above the kitchen table, his eyes gleaming black and hot. Her heart swelled, throbbing and aching, and she knew what she'd just said was true, that she loved him. She had for so long, for the better part of a year at least.

"I love you, too," he whispered against her mouth. It was exactly what she wanted to hear yet sounded so absurd, making her smile a little as his lips claimed hers again. She noticed that he was smiling, too, those dimples just visible for an instant, before she closed her eyes and forgot everything except that he was kissing her.

Her hand slid under his shirt, flattening on the warmth of his skin. She felt the wide firmness of the muscles beneath and the quick, hard beating of his heart. She wanted him. Wanted him with everything she was, no reserves. With a deep, primal need that tightened her loins and made her breasts swell against his chest, with a life-affirming urge that had her reaching for him, stroking over the hard bulge at the front of his cut-off jeans as his hand flattened hard over her breast. She needed this, she needed Jacob. She needed him to make her feel alive and so much better than ever before in her life.

"Jake," she breathed, her blood heating to scalding as she pressed close against that big, warm hand.

"Alex," he answered in a deep, guttural voice, and ran his lips down her neck over the fabric of her turtleneck. She could still feel the heat of his mouth.

His hands went beneath her sweater, pushing it up on his way, and his mouth was on her breast, burning her through the thin black lace of her bra. She gasped, throwing her head back. Then he released the clasp of her bra and pushed the flimsy thing out of his way and opened his mouth over her nipple, stroking his tongue over it, making it quiver, tighten and ache.

He pushed her jeans down over her hips, taking her panties down with it, letting gravity take care of the rest. They dropped to the floor and she stepped out of them. He pulled her close again and slid a thigh between her legs, moving it against her in a way that felt so incredibly good that all she could do was gasp and shiver, wrapping her arms around his neck again and hang on for the ride.

"God, Jake, you have no idea what you're doing to me," she breathed, barely able to think, let alone speak as she pressed back against his thigh instinctively. The resulting undulating waves of desire made her moan.

"Right back at ya, baby," he replied a little hoarsely. Jacob knew that only in the heat of passion during sex would he get away with calling her _baby_. With one quick motion he pulled his shirt over his head.

Before Alex could fully comprehend that she was now sitting on the kitchen table _naked_, he was kissing her again and shucking his jeans, spreading her legs and moving between them. Her heart pounded when she saw that he was huge, very hard and very ready for action. She looked him over for a moment. Jacob really was gorgeous with his broad, muscled shoulders, the classic V of his torso, the lean waist and his long, powerful legs.

And what was between them.

God, she wanted him inside of her. Every inch of him. She grabbed a hold of him, wrapping her fingers around him. He groaned, his hips bucking against her hand as she began to stroke him lightly.

"Alex," he said in a voice that sounded like it was killing him to talk at all.

After another two strokes with her hand he suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Damn," he hissed and pulled away from her touch. Before she had a chance to do anything else he slid her to the very edge of the table, lifting her hips slightly, aligning himself with her entrance and driving home.

Alex gasped loudly as he filled her up entirely, stretching her to her limits. "Oh God, Jake, you feel so good," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist, locking him in tight and looking into his eyes as he began pumping in and out of her slowly, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"You have no idea, Lex," he replied huskily, his eyes smolderingly hot as they gazed back into hers. He reached between her thighs and pressed his thumb against her clit as he continued to thrust, picking up pace.

All she could do was moan his name as her head started spinning from the ecstasy as she neared her climax.

"Come for me, baby," he whispered into her ear, his voice dark with his own imminent orgasm.

She did as she was told, her body peaking and breaking, going into hard, tight convulsions that he must have felt, because his arms clenched around her and he came into her with deep, fierce thrusts that carried her right over the edge and caused the world to explode in rainbow colors even though her eyes were firmly closed.

"Alexandra," he groaned, and held himself inside her, and came, his body shuddering und pulsing within her.

She grabbed his face with both her hands and kissed him with all the passion and love she could possibly convey in a kiss. The rational side of her mind – and it was the sometimes unfortunately larger side – had no illusions about finding eternal love at a young age like eighteen. It was too rare and too unlikely to truly believe in it. But her romantic side, that seemed to rear its head more and more often since she was together with Jacob, just couldn't deny the fact that she'd never felt this strongly about anyone in her life before. She had absolutely no idea where this road was going to lead them, but she knew that she would enjoy every step of the way to its fullest…

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><p><strong>And that was the first chapter of Blood Guilt. Already right into the good stuff.<strong>

**Write me a bunch of reviews and you'll get the next chapter real soon! Until then!**


	2. Missing

**Chapter 02: Missing**

Breathing heavily, Alex dropped down onto the mattress of the bed. She looked over at the clock to see it was already two in the afternoon. She only had another three hours before her shift at the Lodge began.

"I could do this all day," Jacob said, lying down beside her. She looked at him and wished she hadn't. His smooth, silky, russet skin was covered in beads of perspiration, glistening from the sunlight that shone through the window, every line of his body perfectly accentuated. It got her all hot again, despite her exhaustion.

"I know you can," she said, smiling at him. They hadn't gone to the beach like Jacob had told Charlie, but she thought they'd used their day pretty well anyway. "But Charlie will be coming home any minute."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and throwing the thin blanket over them. "But that doesn't mean we have to get up."

"No, it doesn't," she agreed.

Generally not much had actually changed in their relationship. They'd already been so close before they'd become a couple, already loving each other without realizing it. He would still hold her whenever possible and they still spent their evenings cuddled up on the couch watching movies. What had changed was that clothes were no longer a requirement for cuddling in bed. And they could kiss each other senseless as often as they liked.

Alex loved it when Jacob held her like that, his strong arms wrapped around her, her head pressed against his chest. She could listen to his heart beat as it slowly steadied. She could feel the heat of his skin pressed to hers and his fingers drawing lazy circles on her waist.

Her cell phone started ringing in that moment and she groaned. "Damnit," she hissed and pulled out of Jacob's warm embrace, leaning over to her nightstand and grabbing the phone. She looked at the display and noticed it was Charlie calling her.

"Charlie? What's up?" She only just managed to keep herself from asking '_What's wrong?_'. He usually only called her late at night when he wanted to know where she was because she'd been out longer than they'd agreed on. Usually that meant she was fast asleep on Jacob's couch in front of the television.

"Are you home?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted, knowing he'd draw his own conclusions from that since they were not at the beach. True conclusions.

"Well, do you think you can come down to the office?" Charlie asked. "Bring Jake, too."

Alex and Jacob looked at each other in confusion. Since when did Charlie want them to come down to the police station? Was he going to bust Jacob for sleeping with his niece? Hardly.

"Uh, why?" Alex asked.

"I've got a job for you." She sat upright in bed, all exhaustion forgotten, excitement and adrenaline rushing through every fiber of her body.

"A case?"

"Don't get too excited, it's nothing major," Charlie said and she could hear him chuckling on the other end of the line.

"We'll be there ASAP," Alex answered and scrambled out of bed. Jacob was already walking towards the door, stark naked, since his clothes were still downstairs on the kitchen floor. Thank God, Charlie hadn't come home yet.

Ending the call, Alex went after Jacob. When she reached the kitchen he was already pulling on his cut-off jeans. She gathered her panties and her bra off the floor and put them on.

"He said it was nothing major," Jacob said with a smirk, trying to dampen Alex's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I know," she replied, grabbing her jeans. "Charlie wouldn't call me if he thought this case would be another trip into the twilight zone or if it could be dangerous. But it's a case none the less and I like any sort of challenge."

"Might not be so much of a challenge though," he said, his words muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"We'll see." She actually had to search for her turtleneck sweater. Jacob had flung it across the kitchen and it had landed on top of the fridge. "Charlie would have dropped dead on the spot if he had walked in here," she said with a smirk and a shake of her head.

"Well, it's not like he doesn't know," Jacob said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her, his chest pressed flush against her back. He pushed her hair out of the way and kissed the sensitive side of her neck, his thumb stroking over the tattoo on her shoulder blade. For just a moment she forgot why the hell she was getting dressed.

"No distractions, Black," she scolded playfully, pulling away from him with a lot more difficulty than she tried to let on, pulling her sweater over her head. "I'd told Charlie we'd be there as soon as possible."

"And we will be," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back towards him. Before she knew what was happening his mouth was already on hers, his warm, soft lips molding seamlessly against hers in a fierce, urgent, passionate kiss that sent waves of desire all the way down to her toes.

Her hands instinctively moved up his arms, one wrapping around his neck, the other buried into his thick, soft hair, pulling him as close as possible. She parted her lips and his tongue was inside her mouth in an instant, meeting hers halfway. He tasted so delicious.

"As much as I would love to continue this," Alex said, pulling away. Jacob groaned. "We have to go."

"Fine," he replied, sounding disappointed.

"I'll make it up," she promised. "I don't have a shift tomorrow."

"But neither does Charlie," he reminded her.

"True, but isn't your dad coming over tomorrow to watch the game with Charlie?" His smile widened, his white teeth flashing brilliantly against his dark skin.

Charlie was in his office when Alex and Jacob arrived at the station. He was talking to one of his colleagues, Christina Sands.

"You're earlier than I expected," Charlie said when they'd entered his office. His ears turned a little red at the obviously unintended innuendo.

Clearing his throat he decided to skip any small talk and get straight to business. "This morning, a woman, Caitlin Gubler, was found dead in her kitchen, killed, no sign of forced entry. Her mother is here in the other room. She needs help to find her granddaughter's father so he can take care of her," Charlie explained. "That's your job."

"You want us to find the dad?" Alex clarified. She'd have preferred the murder investigation.

"Yes," Charlie said with a nod. "Mrs. Simmons will fill you in on the rest."

"Are you at least going to give us a rundown on the case?" Alex said. It was always better to know what they would be up against and sometimes the smallest details meant the most.

Charlie gestured them to turn around to the television screen that stood in the corner. He pressed the play button and they watched the interrogation of a little girl, probably around eight or nine.

It was Ms. Sands that had talked to the girl.

"I don't remember anything," the girl said flatly.

"It's okay, Jennifer," Ms. Sands said, her voice calm and soothing. "You're not in trouble."

The girl looked down at the table top for a moment, before looking up at the police woman again. "Mom went in the other room and she called me. And then there was screaming."

"Did you hear anybody else?" Sands asked the girl.

"I didn't hear _anybody_. There was _nobody_ else there." Alex suddenly had a weird feeling as she heard the girl pronouncing so clearly that no one else had been in the house. It didn't sound right.

"How do you know that, Jennifer?" Sands asked.

"There just wasn't," Jennifer replied, almost stubbornly. "I didn't hear _anybody_. I just heard mommy. Then I went out and she was bleeding. That's all I know." Alex was surprised at how composed the girl was, considering she'd just lost her mother.

"The kid is hiding something," she said once Charlie stopped the tape.

"She's upset," Sands said. That might have been true, but that wasn't where the girl's disquiet had come from during the questioning.

"What about cause of death?" Alex asked, leaning against Charlie's desk, next to Jacob, who was frowning at the stilled screen. It showed the face of the girl. She had pale skin, just like almost everyone else in this area, pale blue eyes and shoulder long, straight brown hair.

"Deep incisions," Sands answered.

"You mean like stab wounds?" Jacob asked.

"No, more like teeth and claw marks," Charlie replied.

"Of what? Dogs? Animals?" Alex asked.

"That was our first thought," Sands said. "The front door was open when we got there. Burglary is also a possibility."

"But there was no sign of an intrusion," Alex said, remembering what Charlie had said.

"She could have left the door open," Sands suggested.

"Do _you_ leave your door open that late?" Alex just replied rhetorically. Sands' jaw tightened a little. "Has Jennifer mentioned her dad?"

"Split over a year ago," Sands answered, her voice a little colder now.

"Have you run him? Murder's a lot cheaper than alimony."

"Is she always this intense?" Sands asked Charlie, obviously not liking the fact that a teenager was telling her how to do her job.

"Oh, she's just warming up," Charlie replied, looking down at his desk.

"There was no alimony, no history of violence," Sands finally answered. "The guy didn't even fight for visitation."

"He deserted his family. He has issues," Alex lectured without noticing it. "And sometimes people with issues solve them by getting other people dead."

"Alex," Charlie said in a warning tone.

"As far as I'm concerned the guy isn't even on the radar for this," Sands said bitingly. "You wanna find him to take care of the girl, knock yourself out. Just remember, you're not investigating a homicide here." With that Sands walked out, looking peeved.

"What is she so edgy about?" Alex asked.

"I wonder," Charlie said with a weak smile. "You're okay with this case you've got?" he asked her, looking up at her.

"Standard missing persons," she replied with a shrug.

"So dads that abandon their children don't push your buttons?"

"How could they?" Alex said sarcastically, knowing where Charlie was headed. "They're never there." It wasn't like her father had actually abandoned her. He probably didn't know she existed.

"If you're sure, I'll go get Mrs. Simmons, so you can talk to her now." Charlie got up and walked out of the room.

Alex turned towards Jacob, who was still leaning against Charlie's desk and staring at the image of the girl's face on the screen. "Are you okay with this?" she asked softly, noticing the tension between his shoulder blades.

"Yeah," he croaked. Clearing his throat he started again, "Yeah, I'm fine with it."

"Jake, if you don't want to be on this case with me, that's totally fine. I can handle a missing father on my own." She knew what had him so distressed. Jacob had been round about the same age as Jennifer Gubler when his own mother had died in a car crash.

"No," he replied instantly. "No, really, it'll be fine. I want to come with you or I might not see you at all until you're done with this case." He attempted to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Okay," she said softly, deciding not to push him. "But if it gets too much just say so."

"Sure, sure." She smiled at his standard reply. She walked up to him, standing in front of him, effectively blocking out his view of the screen. She let her hand brush through his hair, slightly massaging his scalp with the tips of her fingers.

He pulled her closer with his arms at her waist until she stood between his knees. She put her other hand on his chest, feeling the warmth through his shirt and the firmness underneath her fingers. "What I said to you this morning," she started, her voice barely higher than a whisper. "I meant it. I know we've only been a couple for a bit over four months, but I really do love you, Jake. So much."

She felt his arms tighten around her middle, pulling her closer until she was pressed up against his chest. "I love you, too, Alex. I really do. Much more than I ever thought I could possibly love again. And, I think, maybe much more than I've ever loved anyone before." Her heart started skipping as he said that. He loved her more than he'd loved Bella? "It's so easy with you. Most of the time anyway," he said, a grin forming on his face. She knew she could be hardheaded and stubborn at times, but that wasn't an inherently bad thing.

She leaned in to kiss him. This time there was no passionate fire in the kiss. She moved her lips tenderly and slowly against his, trying to convey the depth of her feelings for him.

God, she couldn't get enough of him. Chenille, her best friend in Detroit, had said that they were intense together. But that had been before she'd even known that she was head over heels in love with Jacob. Intense, however, seemed to be a good way to describe the constant yearning for his closeness. It wasn't just the physical aspect of their relationship that she loved. Jacob made her feel secure in a way she'd never experienced before. Loved, taken care of, protected. Whenever he embraced her it felt like she was coming home, like she was finally exactly where she belonged.

For the sake of their friendship, she had considered never telling him about her feelings for him and hope they would just disappear like the many crushes she'd had in the past. But the feelings hadn't gone away, just swelled in her heart until it was almost unbearable. She needed him like the air she breathed and she was certain she couldn't have kept that a secret from him forever.

When she'd found out that he returned her feelings they'd crossed the point of no return. She couldn't have hit the brakes even if she wanted to, like a runaway train. And she really didn't want to. Jacob was the best thing that had ever happened in her life and she wasn't going to let that go…

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><p><strong>Come on guys! A few more reviews would be very appreciated. I'm loading all this for you guys. If you all don't want to read anymore now that Alex and Jacob are together, then just say so and I can spare myself the trouble of uploading. But there's still some really good stuff coming up! Just saying. Please send me some reviews. Something constructive would be nice.<strong>


	3. Satisfaction

**Chapter rated M!**

**Chapter 03: Satisfaction**

Charlie cleared his throat when he stepped back into his office to find Alex wrapped tightly in Jacob's arms, both kissing each other sensually. They broke apart and looked to the door, neither of them having the decency to look even slightly abashed at being caught in such an intimate position.

He knew, of course, that Alex and Jacob were sleeping with each other whenever he wasn't in the house, hell, he was certain they'd been having sex ever since he'd left the house that morning until he'd given Alex a call.

He hadn't liked it at first when he'd found the birth control pills in Alex's nightstand when he'd been looking for the cell phone charger she'd borrowed from him because her phone could be hooked up to it, too, and her charger was missing. They were only dating for four and a half months now and he thought that that was a pretty short time for already being physical. On the other hand, he saw them together almost every day, saw just how much they cared for each other. He had no doubt that they would still be together for quite a long time, perhaps even end up getting married (he and Billy kept their fingers crossed for that) and they were old enough to make these decisions on their own. Hence, he'd chosen to let them do whatever they wanted, though he had threatened to shoot Jacob on the spot if he knocked Alex up. They were both extremely smart and had bright futures awaiting and he was not going to watch them flush those futures down the toilet just because they couldn't control their hormones.

"Alex, Jacob, this is Clarice Simmons, Caitlin Gubler's mother, and Jennifer's grandmother," he said, stepping aside so the elderly lady could walk past him, into the room.

Clarice Simmons was well beyond her seventies, but she stood with a perfectly straight back, leaning only slightly on the walking stick she carried with her. She was slender and about a head shorter than Charlie. Her face was very wrinkled, her hair white, but she still had a very authoritative manner, reminding him of what his own mother had been like.

"Hello, Mrs. Simmons," Alex said. "I know it probably doesn't mean much to you, but I'm really sorry for your loss." Not for the first time, Charlie wondered if Alex even knew how easily she already slipped into the role of a cop. She was using the same calm, gentle voice most cops used on the bereaved. He knew she wanted to be a detective and he had no doubt that she would be eventually after she was finished with college.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Simmons said. Jacob remained quiet, moving to stand in one of the corners in the room, leaving the playing field to Alex without hesitation.

"Please, have a seat," Charlie said. Usually he would offer one of the hard plastic chairs that stood in front of his desk, but he decided to offer her his padded chair instead. She thanked him while Alex slid into one of the plastic chairs opposite her, pulling out a notepad from her huge, black purse. One of the handles had torn and she'd patched it up provisorily. Why she didn't just get a new one, Charlie didn't understand. Alex had a very good income at the Lodge, which was the only more fancy restaurant in Forks, much better than what Bella had earned at Newton's. She didn't have to worry about funding college, either.

Alex had gotten a once in a lifetime offer from a law firm in Seattle, _Foster & Barker_. One of the partners, Jocelyn Foster, apparently was a close friend of Mr. Santiago for whom Alex had retrieved a resurrected body four months ago. Mr. Santiago had told Foster about Alex's skills as an investigator and Foster had approached Alex with a job offer as a freelance investigator with an incredible income. The firm, or at least Foster's part, specialized in divorces, which meant Alex's main job was to follow around cheating spouses and, since Washington was a "Community Property" state, meaning all property acquired during the marriage was split equally between the parties, she also had to find out just how much property that was. Apparently it wasn't so uncommon for some people to hide considerable sums of money or estates from their spouses. Aside from that, she would also get cases of insurance fraud, which, she said, was less fun but paid more.

Jacob, to their great surprise and delight, had gotten a full engineering scholarship from the University of Washington.

The two of them, and Gillian, would all be moving to Seattle in the fall. They'd already planned a trip to the city shortly after graduation to look at apartments because none of them wanted to live in the dorms.

"I've been told you want us to find your ex-son-in-law," Alex began, looking up at Mrs. Simmons.

"Yes, Spencer Gubler," Mrs. Simmons affirmed, pulling out a photograph and handing it to Alex. It was a family picture of all three Gublers, looking happy.

"This him?" Alex asked. "And he's just a regular guy, right? Nothing… freaky?" Charlie smirked at the hidden meaning in her question. She really wanted to know if he had anything that would tie him to something supernatural.

"He's a mechanic," Mrs. Simmons answered. "He likes _old_ cars." She made it sound like that was freaky enough. Alex back tensed a little bit and Charlie had to grin. Alex loved Old Timers herself.

"And he just took off a year ago? No forwarding address? No contact information?"

"When I asked Caitlin if she knew why he'd left she said that was none of my business." Mrs. Simmons looked sad, still her voice was crisp when she said that.

"Well, when people run it's usually because there's someone chasing them," Alex said calmly. "Did Spencer have any bad habits? Women? Cards? Drugs?"

"I don't know what went on between Spencer and my daughter. From what I saw he was a good man," Mrs. Simmons answered. "With Caitlin gone Jennifer is all alone and she needs her father. Before I got sick I could have looked after her, but if her school hadn't taken her in, I just don't know what would have happened to her."

"Her school?"

"Morris Academy," Mrs. Simmons explained. "It's a boarding school in Port Angeles for gifted children."

"Mrs. Simmons, I have to ask you," Alex said tentatively. "Do you think that there is any possibility that Spencer might have had anything to do with your daughter's murder?"

"I don't think he could have hurt Caitlin," Mrs. Simmons said, shaking her head.

"All right, we will look into it," Alex said. "I can start with the _Vintage Cars_, that's probably a good place. I need you to tell me everything you can think of about Spencer Gubler." Readying her pen on the notepad she wrote down whatever Mrs. Simmons said, occasionally asking her to specify on a few details. She really would be a good detective.

After about half an hour she seemed done with her questioning. Mrs. Simmons got up and said her goodbyes before leaving. Jacob moved out of the corner and towards the desk, standing right behind Alex and putting his hands on her shoulders as he read her notes.

"Sounds like he's a pretty regular guy," he said.

"Sounds like Mrs. Simmons doesn't really know a whole lot about him or his relationship with her daughter," Alex corrected, looking at the few notes she'd made, barely more than a page.

"So, what next?" he wanted to know. Charlie tore his eyes away from them when he noticed Jacob's thumbs massaging small circles into her shoulders. It wasn't a very grand gesture, but there was something very intimate about it that he didn't want to intrude upon.

"I want to talk to Jennifer. And maybe the director of that school she's going to," Alex answered. "But now I have to get going or I'll be late for my shift at the restaurant." She got up and turned towards Jacob. "You gonna come over again tonight?"

"Yeah, just give me a call when you're done." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and Alex turned to Charlie.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"See you then," he answered, sitting down in his chair, watching as she walked out the door, then turning his attention on Jacob, who sat down opposite him.

"You two seem to be doing pretty well," Charlie finally said.

"We are," Jacob replied simply.

"For your sake I hope you're not going to hurt her."

"I have no intention to hurt her, Charlie."

Charlie leaned back and studied Jacob for a moment. He'd known the boy since his birth, he was like a son to Charlie and he knew Jacob wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose. "I was under the impression that that's not necessarily under your control."

Jacob cringed. "_Imprinting_," he said, making the word sound like a curse. "It's rare and so many in our pack have done it that I doubt that I will, too, but…" he paused for a moment, frowning. "Alex knows about it and she knows it might happen and she's assured me that she doesn't care about it. At least not until it happens. She said that it's not really different to what can happen in any other normal relationship. Falling in and out of love is natural." It sounded like something Alex would say. She was right, too. Charlie had experienced that first hand.

"I'm glad Alex is not my imprint," Jacob admitted. "By all means, she could be, but I like the fact that we got the chance to fall in love naturally and not due to some twisted, magical match-making."

"Fall in love?" Charlie couldn't help but notice the term in Jacob's explanation.

A slight blush crept up Jacob's neck, barely visible on his dark, russet skin. "Yes," he confessed. "We love each other."

Charlie nodded. He couldn't really pretend to be surprised. It was obvious in the way they looked at each other. It had been obvious even months before they'd actually become a couple.

"I should go," Jacob said, getting up. "Dad's probably wondering where I am."

"Remind him about the game when you see him," Charlie called after him.

"Will do." With that Jacob was gone.

* * *

><p>Saturday evenings were always busy at the Lodge. Despite how small a city Forks was, there always seemed to be something to celebrate and entire families showed up at the tacky restaurant.<p>

"When's your shift over?" Gillian asked when Alex came to her table, bringing her another water. Gillian often spent her evening sitting in the restaurant, talking to Alex whenever she had five minutes to spare.

"About another hour," Alex said with a heavy sigh. Her feet hurt like hell from running around for the past four hours.

"You gonna meet up with Jake after?"

"Yeah," Alex answered.

"God, I wish I had someone like Jake," Gillian said, using her straw to stir the ice cubes in her glass.

"You will," Alex said with certainty. "But wait till college. No point finding someone here with graduation only a month away."

"That reminds me," Gillian said. "Which prom are you going to go to?" The La Push High School finished about a week before the school in Forks did. Alex really did want to go to prom, seeing as she'd missed the one in her junior year and this would be her last chance. But she only wanted to go to one prom, not both.

"I think I'll go with Jake to the Rez prom. It's not like I'll be missing anyone from our High School." Aside from Gillian, Alex didn't really have friends at the Forks High School. There was no one she found particularly interesting. All her friends lived on the reservation so it made sense that she'd go to their prom.

"True," Gillian replied with a nod. "I guess I'd prefer the prom on the Rez, too. Maybe Embry won't mind going with me."

"I'm sure he won't," Alex said with a grin. "He doesn't have a date so far." It wasn't that Embry couldn't get at least five girls on every finger, he was just as handsome as Jacob and the rest of the pack, but he was shy when it came to girls. He was pretty good friends with Gillian, though. They'd tried the couple thing about two months ago, seeing as it worked so well for Jacob and Alex, but found that it was just plain awkward between them and returned to being friends.

"Playing hook-up, Lexy?"

Alex spun around as she heard the familiar, female voice behind her. There really was only one person in the world that got away with calling her _Lexy_. "Leah!" she cried out and flung her arms around the older girl. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"I know," Leah said, smiling sheepishly. "The wedding preparations are keeping me so busy, it's crazy." Leah did look a little tired, but was grinning broadly none the less.

"When is it now?" Gillian asked. For about two months it had been clear that there would be a wedding when Steve proposed to Leah in front of her family, but so far there didn't seem to be a set date.

"I was actually going to ask you about that," Leah said. "I want it to be before you guys move to Seattle."

"Oh, well, we'll be spending about two weeks in Seattle after graduation at the end of the month to look for an apartment. But we won't actually move until September," Alex answered.

"Then I could have the wedding in August." Leah sat down across from Gillian. Alex had to go and take care of a few orders, but by now the restaurant was starting to empty and things finally calmed down a bit.

"So, got any specific plans already?" she asked once she returned to their table.

"There's this really cute chapel in Port Angeles, really close to the harbor, where we met," Leah said dreamily. Since Steve had walked into Leah's life there wasn't much left of the bitter harpy Jacob had told Alex about.

When Alex finally got home the first thing she did was grab a quick shower. When she came down again, Jacob was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. He never rang the doorbell anymore, particularly not when he came by so late, so he wouldn't ring Charlie out of bed. Instead he used the spare key Alex had handed to him. Surprisingly, giving Jacob a key to the house had been Charlie's idea. She assumed Charlie had been worried Jacob would find a different way into the house, possibly breaking the door or some window in the process.

"You look like you've had a long day," Jacob said when she sat down beside him.

"I'm exhausted," she replied. "Don't think I'm complaining, but I think an entire morning of sex and an evening running around the restaurant is just a little too much."

He chuckled, grabbed her legs and pulled them onto his lap. Alex moved with him, turning sideways and lying down with her head on the armrest of the couch. "Oh God, that feels good," she moaned when he started massaging her, his warm thumbs moving over the top of her right foot with just the right amount of pressure to smooth out the muscles there.

"Seth said Leah's back in town," Jacob said, continuing to rub the ball of her foot. Alex inhaled and exhaled deeply with pleasure, practically melting into the soft couch cushions.

"Yeah, she came by the restaurant," Alex said, her eyes fluttering closed. "Wanted to know when we move to Seattle so she can have the wedding before that." He moved down to the arch of her foot, moving his thumbs in small circles, applying a bit more pressure. "Oh God, Jake," she breathed. That man truly had magic fingers.

"How long is she here for?"

She moaned as he moved on to her heel. "Till Tuesday. She's gonna drop by Sam and Emily's tomorrow." Emily was getting pretty round. The baby could be coming any day now.

"I'll give her a call then, maybe she'd like to meet up." If Alex were a different girl and Jacob were a different boy, she was sure she'd feel suspicious about his eagerness to meet up with a gorgeous woman like Leah, but Alex was very secure in her own looks and Jacob was loyalty in persona. Leah was just one of Jacob's closest friends and Alex knew that.

He pushed the loose fitting leg of her pajama pants up to her knee so he could knead her calf.

"I'm sure," Alex replied. After a while he moved on to her other leg, beginning the massaging process anew. She watched his dark, big hands, move over her paler skin, molding it to his will, feeling her muscles relax under his touch and warmth. It always amazed her to see how his large hands could do such delicate work.

"That almost makes up for the stunt you pulled this morning," she said, meaning his hand in her pants while Charlie was sitting across from them.

He chuckled again. "Well, maybe you'll redeem me entirely when I continue this massage on the rest of your body."

She was perfectly aware that he could smell her instant arousal and his wolfish grin confirmed it, but she couldn't help being turned on by the thought of having his perfect hands on every part of her body. "That might just work," she said with a smile.

Putting her legs down once he finished on her second calf, he got up, turned off the TV and bent down to pick Alex up with one hand under her knees and the other at her back. "Then we should try it."

He carried her upstairs and put her down on her bed, turning back to the door to lock it, making sure Charlie wasn't about to walk in on this. Coming back he sat down on the bed beside her. In absolutely no rush he pulled up her tank top, his hands running over her sides smoothly on the way up. Goose bumps erupted all over her skin as it suddenly seemed to become hypersensitive to Jacob's touch. She lifted her body up slightly to let him pull the top over her head and discard it on the floor beside him. She didn't wear a bra and she watched as his eyes turned deepest black with desire as they roamed over every inch of her exposed skin. His gaze seemed to set her body on fire. There was a tingling sensation between her legs and she knew she was getting wet for him.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, grabbing the waistband of her pajama bottoms and pulling them down, again she aided him by lifting herself up as he pulled them over her hips. With sensual slowness, he let his hands caress the skin on the outside of her legs as he moved downward and back up when he'd gotten rid of her pants. She couldn't help her body quavering when his hands caressed over the black lace of her panties.

"Turn around for me," he commanded, his voice firm. She knew his Alpha voice, he didn't use it on her, but it wasn't far off. She didn't even have to think twice about obeying him, turning over to lie on her stomach, her arms stretched out to the sides. He leaned over her body to kiss her tattoo and she moaned into the pillow when she felt his hot tongue lapping over the smaller butterfly just once before getting up.

She heard rustling behind her, but didn't turn her head. She knew he was taking off his clothes without having to look. He didn't want her to. She closed her eyes, vividly imagining the way his muscles flexed and bunched as he pulled his shirt over his head. Another soft moan escaped her.

The mattress sunk slightly at her side and she knew Jacob was sitting beside her again. The next moment she felt his warm hands on her shoulders, kneading the muscles into total relaxation before moving down her back. She shivered as he let one finger glide down her spine to the edge of her panties and back up again before resuming the massage of her entire back, smoothing out the kinks in her muscles, moving lower and lower.

She was shaking with desire and anticipation by the time he reached her panties again, but he just jumped over them and began to apply pressure to her thighs. For a moment his hands were only an inch or two from her core, but then he moved down her right leg to her knee.

"You're impatient today, baby," he said in a deep, husky voice that seemed to reverberate through her body and into her loins. His touch was burning hot and she was certain that her underwear was soaked through by now.

"Oh please, Jake, _please_." She had no idea what exactly she was begging for. All she knew was that she needed more. More of his touch, more of him. The first time he'd gotten her to beg she'd been so embarrassed afterwards. Never in her life had she ever begged, particularly not during sex. She was the one who made the men beg, but Jacob had turned it around on her and she'd had no idea what to do with it. Now she didn't care anymore. He touched and made her feel in ways no one else ever had.

His hands moved back up her left leg, getting dangerously close to her center again. Again he jumped it, but this time she felt his fingers hook into the band of her panties, dragging them down as terribly slow as the pajama pants earlier. God, she'd promised herself never to do this with Charlie just across the hall. She'd have to stifle her moans in the pillow, because there was no way she would stop this now.

Jacob moved back up her body, lying down on top of Alex. She gasped at the feeling of his weight and the way his chest molded against her back. She groaned with need when she felt his long, hard shaft against her thigh so close to where she wanted it.

"That feels so good," she moaned, pressing her face into her pillow as he shoved her hair out of the way and began kissing and licking along her throat and shoulder. He held himself up on one elbow so he wouldn't crush her. His free hand moved over her side, only the fingertips touching her skin lightly, trailing a hot, tingling path over the swell of her butt and down between her thighs. She gasped for breath when she felt two of his fingers slide into her, moving in and out in a slow, exciting rhythm.

"Oh God, Jake," she breathed between pants. His tongue flicked over her earlobe and he jerked his hips slightly, letting the tip of his erection rub against the inside of her thigh.

"You're so hot and wet, baby," he whispered into her ear, his hot breath caressing her cheek as his fingers pumped into her. She couldn't take much more of this.

"Please, Jake," she whimpered. "I want you inside me."

He pulled out his fingers, righted himself onto his knees, grabbed her hips and pulled them up so that her butt was in the air and her upper body still pressed into the pillow. Instinctively she spread her legs wider as he rubbed the head of his length over her entrance. She whimpered, "_Please_."

She cried out into the pillow when he slid into her, slowly, filling her up inch by inch, stretching her. "It feels so good to be inside you, Lex," he hissed. Her whole body had tensed, but he didn't stop stroking in and out of her. All she could do was moan and cry and thrash her hips as he seemed to go deeper with every stroke. He'd never taken her in this position and she'd never felt him so deep inside her. It was mind-blowing.

"Shit, Alex." He dove into her with slow, hard strokes, burying every inch of him inside her and she met him each time, his hands caressing over her lower back and butt, squeezing gently. He reached around her and circled her clit with his fingers.

She couldn't hold on anymore, she was so damn close.

"Come, baby," Jacob ordered.

Her orgasm erupted deep inside her, her body convulsing and shuddering at the intensity of it. And it didn't let up. Jacob continued his slow strokes, keeping her on her high until she didn't even have the ability to scream his name into the pillow anymore.

"Are you okay, baby?" he asked, sounding concerned when she remained quiet for so long.

Alex had to laugh, her body still shaking uncontrollably. "God, _yes_."

When she finally stopped quivering he readjusted his position. She knew what was about to happen and excitement filled her up again. He pulled out nearly all the way and then plunged forward again, driving himself into her forcefully, burying himself up to the hilt. He repeated that, picking up pace. She pushed back on him with each thrust as he grabbed her hips again. His hand moved back to rub at her clit until she was moaning inarticulately into the pillow and grinding her hips against his hand as another orgasm built inside her.

"Alex." She knew he was about to come by his ever more forceful rhythm. He pushed back into her, driving her over the edge again. The clenching of her body around him was all it took for him to reach his own climax. He bent over her, still thrusting, pulsing as he spilled his seed into her, biting down on her shoulder to keep himself from moaning out loud. The sudden shock of the sharp pain and intoxicating pleasure combined sent her right into her third orgasm.

Utterly spent they dropped down on her bed, Jacob on top of her, still inside her. He wasn't holding himself up this time and she was enjoying the feeling of his full weight pressing her into the mattress.

He sweetly kissed the spot where he had bitten her before moving off of her and lying down by her side, gathering her into his arms.

"That was amazing, Jake," she said, her breath still coming in pants.

"Yes, it was." He had his eyes closed, concentrating on getting his breath to even out.

"I hope Charlie didn't hear us," Alex said.

Jacob remained quiet for a moment and she knew he was listening to the sounds of the house. "No, he's still asleep," he finally replied.

"Good." She kissed him before putting her head back down on his shoulder, falling asleep more satisfied than ever before…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for the reviews.<strong> **I'm really hoping to get some more good ones this time, too. Luv u all!**


	4. Sentimentalities

**Chapter 04: Sentimentalities**

Jacob stood in the doorway to his kitchen, watching as Alex stood by the stove making dinner, wearing nothing but a black t-shirt of his, her hair tousled and even wilder than usual. His father was over at the Swans' place to watch a game with Charlie so they had the house to themselves. Which basically meant that they'd barely gotten past the front door before falling all over each other.

He inhaled deeply, the air still thick with the smell of sex, stirring a deep, primal desire inside him. Stopping the animal inside him from taking over, he walked over to Alex and put his arms around her waist from behind. Immediately she leaned back against his chest. It was natural, like it had never meant to be any different. She had a good height, too, her head coming to rest against his chest, just underneath his chin.

"Stay here tonight," he murmured into her thick mane of curls, kissing the top of her head and inhaling the scent of her coconut shampoo. They rarely slept at his place, which had nothing to do with them not wanting to. Jacob's twin bed was simply too small for both of them. Hell, it was too small for him alone. Whenever they did stay at Jacob's house overnight, it meant that sleep wasn't generally on the menu.

"What about school tomorrow?" Alex asked, giving the tomato sauce for the spaghetti a stir.

"It's our last month," Jacob replied, his hands travelling to her bare thighs. He loved the feel of her soft skin. "It's not like they're still teaching us anything important."

"You really can't get enough, do you?" she asked, turning around to face him, grinning up at him.

"I can't get enough of you," he replied, which earned him a raised eyebrow.

"Alright," she finally said. "I'll stay tonight, but only under the condition that you let me try something."

"What?"

"You'll see," she said, a devilish grin spreading over her lips. He could hardly wait to find out. "I'll see if I can talk to the girl tomorrow evening," she said then, turning back to the spaghetti, sounding very business-like.

"I doubt she knows where her dad is if no one else does," Jacob said. He couldn't help but feel sad for the girl. She'd just lost her mother and her father was nowhere to be found.

"No, but he ran away for some reason and maybe she knows why," Alex replied, turning towards him again. "You really are okay with this?"

"Course," Jacob lied. He refused to back down. Alex had a gift for maneuvering herself into tight situations and, though he knew she could probably deal with most of them all on her own just fine, he preferred to be there with her. But he couldn't help looking at the picture of his mother on the living room wall more often than he usually did or notice the fact that he hadn't been to the cemetery in a really long time.

He wondered how his life would have been like if Sarah were still alive. He would have had someone to talk to during his episode with Bella, someone who could have given him advice, maybe someone who could have told him to stay away from the girl who only hurt him. Would she have gone over to the Swans' house with his father to watch the game? Or would she be cooking dinner right now, while he snuck Alex through his bedroom window so she wouldn't know he had her over for the night, only to find out the next morning she'd known his girlfriend had been there all along in typical mother fashion? Would she have liked Alex? Jacob was sure she would have. Alex had her own charm – in a hardheaded, stubborn kind of way. Billy had said that Sarah had been like that, too, at their age. Apparently she'd mellowed when Jacob's twin sisters had been born.

"Jake? You still with me?" He pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of Alex's concerned voice.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, putting on a fake smile and ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest and the lump in his throat.

"I really can do this one alone," Alex reassured him, trailing her hands up and down his upper arms comfortingly.

"No, like I said, it's fine." Turning to the cupboard, he pulled out two plates. "Sauce looks ready."

"It is," Alex simply said and turned away to deal with their dinner. That was one thing he liked about Alex; she didn't push. He knew she had an open ear for when he'd want to talk, but she was fine to let him deal with whatever bothered him in his own time.

They settled down at the kitchen table to eat their dinner.

"You're going to keep this strictly to finding the dad, right?" Jacob asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" This time it was Jacob's turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "If I find anything that might contribute to the mother's murder investigation I will let Charlie know." He noticed that she didn't specify how deep she would dig before telling Charlie or if she would stop digging after telling him.

With a sigh Jacob leaned back in his chair. He knew he should argue the point, keep her in a straight line, but he also knew that it would be a battle lost long before he started it. Alex had never been the straight-line kind of girl.

And if nothing else, Alex always looked for a challenge. How Charlie had hoped to keep her away from a murder investigation, Jacob didn't know. Finding Spencer Gubler wasn't going to keep her occupied enough. Hopefully Charlie wasn't counting on Jacob to keep Alex occupied during the time in which she'd stick her nose in things that were none of her business. Their sex was amazing, but he doubted it would keep Alex's mind off the case.

He looked up when Alex stood, taking her empty plate and walking over to the sink. "Do you want some more?" she asked, but had already grabbed his plate and was filling it with another large portion of noodles. She knew him well enough by now.

"Course," Jacob replied, smiling at her when she set the plate down in front of him. Instead of righting herself again she leaned down towards him more, her hand moving to the back of his neck. Her lips were soft and warm against his. Automatically closing his eyes he let out a deep breath, noticing a tension leave his body that he hadn't been aware of until now.

"Thank you, Jake," she said quietly, pulling away a bit.

"For what?"

"For being there. From the beginning," she explained. "I don't think I would be here if it weren't for you."

"I would have saved you from the demon no matter what," Jacob said, pulling Alex onto his lap. "Though, honestly, I think you might have been able to handle that on your own. You did, in a way."

"That's not what I meant, Jake," Alex replied, her fingers combing through his hair. God, he loved it when she did that! "You did save my life and I'm thankful for that, too, but more importantly you saved my sanity and future. I'm going to college, Jake. There was a time I wouldn't even have dreamt of that."

"Do you think you would have stayed with your mother?" he asked. "If I hadn't come to Detroit?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "I don't think it would have mattered, though." She kissed his temple then leaned her forehead against it. "It would have torn me apart. So, thank you for keeping me whole."

Jacob took her face in both his hands, tilting it. She kissed him back with equal loving passion. It was an incredible feeling to know that she loved him back and she was willing to have only him in her life. No attachments. No conditions. He wanted Alex more than anything else in his life.

"Jake, you've helped me stay whole," she said calmly. "I know you, love. You keep everything inside you, all your troubles; your sick father, the abandonment of your sisters, the burden of being Alpha, your feelings for Bella. Your mother. And you always put on a happy face. You don't want to trouble others." He'd frozen in his seat as Alex continued to talk. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that she could figure him out like only his pack brothers could. Without sharing his mind. "I will never tell you what to do with your feelings, but you've helped me carry my burdens, let me help you carry yours. If you need it."

"Lex, I…" He didn't know what to say. Instead he buried his face in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent deeply, letting it calm him. "Thank you," he finished lamely, not entirely sure for what, only that he was. It was almost a relief to know that she knew. That she saw right through him. If she knew of his burdens he didn't have to feel bad about unloading on her every once in a while. He needed that and he knew he could trust her.

"I'm glad we've got that in the open," she said cheerfully, clapping him on the shoulder and jumping out of his lap. The mood changed again and he grinned at her. "Eat up. I didn't come here for sentimentalities," she added, giving him a temptress smile as she sauntered down the hall towards his bedroom.

"And you say _I_ can't get enough," he yelled after her, laughing.

She turned around again, her smile turning dangerous. Without hesitation she grabbed the hem of the t-shirt he'd borrowed her and pulled it over her head. His jeans immediately felt too tight as she stood there, stark naked, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms under her chest, pushing her breasts up.

It was so unfair! What straight guy could possibly argue with a naked woman?

"You gonna finish that?" she asked, pointing at his plate of spaghetti. Eating was definitely not on his mind anymore.

Without another word he got up and crossed the distance between them. The kiss was intense and fiery, leaving no doubts to where this was supposed to lead them. Hell, he'd take her right here in the hallway – again – if he wasn't worried his father would come home at any moment. Their hands roamed over every inch they could reach of the other's body, Alex skillfully opening his pants and letting them drop to the ground. Jacob had to groan at the full-body contact of their heated skins.

He really couldn't get enough of this. Aside from the obvious fact that he loved being as close to Alex as humanly possible, sex was also a great way to work off all the excess energy and tension that accumulated whenever he went a longer period without phasing.

"Lex," he breathed between kisses, "we need to move this to my room." He could hear Charlie's cruiser pulling up to the house to drop off Billy.

"Worried we'll get caught?" she asked teasingly. Nonetheless she pulled away and scooped up their discarded clothes, backing away towards his room, her eyes never leaving his.

They only just managed to close the door behind them before Jacob could hear Charlie and his dad come through the front door, talking animatedly about the game. Dropping their clothes on the floor again, Alex backed Jacob up against the door, kissing him again feverishly. She was definitely taking control of the situation this time and he was curious as to where that would lead them. She'd done it before, of course, though they both enjoyed it more when Jacob took the lead.

"Remember I said I wanted to try something new?" she asked quietly, grinning devilishly.

Jacob had to swallow hard, certain that he was about to pay for having his hand down her pants with Charlie just across the table and making her go back on her promise never to have sex when Charlie was in his room just across the hallway. "Yeah?" he croaked.

She feathered kisses along his jaw, down to his throat. A shiver ran down his back when he felt her teeth scrape across the sensitive skin on the side of his neck, followed by a soothing stroke of her tongue.

"You're about to find out what I had in mind," she whispered into his ear, her breath caressing the side of his face.

He gasped when he felt her fingers close around his erection, stroking up and down in a terribly slow rhythm, her thumb brushing over the sensitive tip. He jerked forward, needing more and faster friction, but her other hand came up to his hip, holding him against the door firmly.

"None of that now," she said, punctuating her words with a sharp bite on his shoulder. She cupped his balls, massaging them as her other hand continued to pump him slowly. He couldn't help the moan that escaped him. Her hands stopped moving and he knew she was trying to hear if the others had heard him. He strained to hear any sounds past the rushing of blood in his ears, the pounding of his heart and his erratic breathing.

"I don't think they noticed," he finally said when he could hear them talking normally. She continued her torture even slower than before.

"Please, Lex, don't do this to me," he begged.

"Don't worry," she purred into his ear. "It's not over yet." And with that she began kissing a hot path over his chest and down his abdomen until she was kneeling in front of him, her lips brushing over the right side of his pelvis, only an inch or two away from where he was yearning for her attention.

"Oh shit," Jacob breathed when he realized what she was planning on doing. The thought alone nearly made him lose it. He clenched his jaw and curled his hands into fists, trying desperately to hold on to his sanity.

Her warm hand still wrapped firmly around the base of his shaft, she extended her tongue and licked the moisture off the tip. Then she glanced up at him. "It's supposed to be even better if you watch."

Jacob's response wasn't even a word, really. It was more of a strangled acknowledgement that somehow she'd read his mind and probed his deepest fantasies.

Apparently he looked as awestruck as he felt, because she laughed.

Then she reached to the side and pulled the closet door open. "That will help."

He couldn't imagine why until he glanced over and discovered his full-length mirror on the inside of the door. If he hadn't loved Alex already this would have been the point where he would.

For a porn movie, it would be the perfect camera angle. He could see everything – her lips, sliding back and forth over his erection, her hands fondling his balls, and her breasts bobbing in time to the whole maneuver. He wasn't going to be able to take more than ten seconds of that combination of visual and physical stimulation without coming.

So he closed his eyes and concentrated on not coming. Even then she was slowly destroying him. She'd suck for a while and then she'd lean back and use some sort of twisting motion with her fingers that had him gasping in delight. Then she'd lick him as if he was an ice cream cone about to drip all over the sidewalk. Which he was. It was hotter than the Fourth of July in his room.

A cool breeze tickled the head of his erection, and he had to look. Sure enough, she had pursed her lips and was blowing on him, which was another kind of crazy-making, climax-building, torturous ecstasy. She began to lick again, and he groaned and closed his eyes, glad he had the door for support.

"Don't close your eyes," Alex murmured.

"If I watch I'll come."

Flattening her tongue, she rubbed it back and forth over the underside of his shaft before hitting that spot with another burst of cool air. "Why hold back?"

He spoke through clenched teeth. "Because I want to do you."

"You can do me later." This time she ran her tongue up and down the ridge that contained about a billion nerve cells, judging from how he was shaking.

"But I want you against the wall." He could smell the effect his words had on her and he had to moan again as the scent of her arousal made it so much harder to hang on.

"You can have me against the wall." She paused to lick him thoroughly. "And you can have me in the shower." She took him in, all of him, in one long, slow slide. She spent the same amount of time on the return trip and finished with a kiss on the very top. "You can also have me on the kitchen counter." She circled the tip with her tongue. "Just come now."

He moaned. "I want to wait."

"No you don't. Open your eyes. Watch me."

Cautiously he opened his eyes.

"That's better. Here we go. Home stretch." When she started sucking this time, she obviously meant business.

What was a guy supposed to do? He came. He had to clench his jaw even tighter to keep from becoming too loud as she sucked every last drop out of him. Quivering, he stood, leaning against the door. She could have done anything with him in that moment. He was her slave.

Alex got back up to her feet, smiling at him. He was panting, his heart hammering. But, _oh God_, did he feel good!

He had not yet regained his ability to speak, so he could only watch in fascination as she slowly licked her lips as if she'd just had a very tasty treat. It made his knees weak as butter.

"We're definitely doing that again," she said, taking the step forward to close the distance between them, her arms coming up around his neck.

All he could do was nod as he wrapped his own arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. He couldn't _not_ kiss her after what she'd just did.

Readily she parted her lips and he met her tongue halfway. He could taste himself in her mouth, which was so erotic in a whole new, exciting way. "I love you, Alex," he breathed. "I love you so much."

Her smile was warm and radiant as she looked up at him. "I love you, too, Jake. You have no idea just how much."

His body was starting to recover from his orgasm. He could finally stop shaking and his breathing settled into a calm, even rhythm. Holding Alex like this felt natural, like it had always been meant to be. Even more so than with Bella. His relationship with Bella had only ever been uncomplicated when they'd been just friends. The love they had felt for each other had been nothing but torturous and painful. With Alex friendship and love melted into each other seamlessly. They were lovers and best friends at the same time and he'd want it no other way.

"Jake?" he heard his father yell and he nearly had a heart attack when he remembered that they weren't alone.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still gonna eat your spaghetti?" He'd forgotten that he still had his dinner standing on the table. Maybe it would have been better to clean that away first.

"Uh, no, I don't think I will. Not yet anyway," Jacob called back.

Alex had her face pressed against his chest as she stifled a giggle.

"You think that's funny, huh?" he asked dangerously. She immediately backed away, but he got a hold of her before she could attempt to escape, tickling her sides. She laughed at his assault.

Backing her up to the edge of the bed, he gave her a final, firm push that left her sprawled across the mattress, breathing fast, her legs spread wide open, her body completely available to him. She looked at him, her stormy gray eyes dark with desire. Her gaze traveled down his body and she licked her lips again when she saw that he was ready for the next round…

* * *

><p><strong>Something I never understood while reading the Twilight books (particularly New Moon) was Bella's perception of Jacob as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. But considering his circumstances (dead mother, runaway sisters, ill father and very probable money issues) it's probably safe to say that – at least some of the time – it's just a façade. Even before he became a werewolf. <strong>

**Meyer describes him as an open, happy character, but I always had the feeling that Jacob – though open in his affections and all that – was actually always keeping close to the vest when it came to his own troubles (aside from the ones he couldn't help mentioning). Bella mentions in the books that he barely ever talked about his mother with her, his – at the time – **_**best friend**_**. **

**Jacob's one of those people who always have an open ear for their friends' troubles, always has a shoulder to cry on and always makes others feel better with the world. But he covers up everything that's eating away at him with a smile. At least that's the impression I got of him while reading the books.**

**And, I think, that when Bella and Jacob described their relationship as easy as breathing, it's not so much cause it would be the natural path for them, but more that neither one of them share their serious problems with each other. And while Bella unloads her heartache on Jacob and expects him to make her troubles go away, she never once, in three books, asks him if there's anything else, aside from the blatantly obvious love drama, that's bothering him. And with a little common sense – and she's supposed to be so observant – Bella should have figured that with all he's gone through – and is going through (and that doesn't even necessarily include the love triangle situation) – it can't truly be sunshine every day.**

**Same thing goes for Seth. When Bella meets him at the bonfire in Eclipse he's only just lost his dad. I don't know what it's like for you guys, but if I'd lose my dad, I'd be more than devastated. And she sees him happy and just assumes he's all smiles and sunshine like Jacob. Seriously? You don't even have to be the observant kind to know that something has to be off. Way to go showing off your people skills, Bella! I don't understand how she can possibly call herself Jacob's best friend and overlook such crucial factors. Probably only cares about her own problems...**

**Okay, I better stop here, before I get really mean. I said I don't believe in bashing, after all, so I guess I should stick to that, huh? It's just been something that's been bothering me for such a long time. Just because someone **_**seems**_** to be extroverted, doesn't mean he is! It's one thing sharing the good things in life and helping others. If you want to know how open someone really is, take a look at how much of his troubles he's willing to reveal. And not just the super obvious things, but particularly the things that tend to fester for a much longer time (like, for instance, an unhappy childhood).**


	5. Abandonment

**Chapter 05: Abandonment**

Leah studied Jacob closely as they sat across from each other in the small café. He knew he looked tired and exhausted and that was exactly how he felt.

"Damn, Jake, didn't you get any sleep this weekend? What the hell were you doing?" she asked.

He felt the blush creep up his neck and into his face. "Oh," she concluded with a smirk. "Guess I should be asking _who_ you were doing." She laughed as he blushed even darker. "You and Alex seem to do really well."

"We are," Jacob answered honestly, smiling. "I don't think I've been this happy in a long time."

"I bet," Leah replied, underlining the innuendo in her voice with an evil grin.

Again he flushed. "That's not what I meant."

"I know," she said, waving it off. "Couldn't resist." She took a sip from her latte, looking around the place at all the other people. At least half the place was filled with couples, some openly kissing or just holding hands, but most of them looking at each other sappily. Did he and Alex look at each other that way in public?

He'd always hated those newly-in-love couples. Admittedly, since he was in a relationship they no longer bothered him quite as much as they had when he'd been heartbroken over Bella. Still, there were things he just didn't want to see – and people shoving their tongues down the other's throat was one of them. Seeing it wasn't nearly as much of a turn-on as doing it.

He drank from his coffee. It was without a doubt one of the best coffees he'd ever had. Though he supposed that wasn't really so difficult. Alex usually made coffee in the morning and, no matter how much he loved her, there were things not even his resilient wolf stomach could handle. But she was always the first one out since she showered in the evenings and he showered in the morning. He was always happy when Charlie had an early shift and got up to make coffee before either of them – and Charlie's coffee was far from excellent.

Alex wasn't exactly a natural when it came to running a household. She was good enough to keep up with the bare essentials, but everything beyond that was not something she generally bothered with. She hated working around the house and he knew it had to do with her having been forced to do it back in Detroit, because her mother had been too drugged to do it.

"But seriously," Leah continued. "You two really look great. All radiant and happy in love."

"So do you," he replied and she smiled again. Leah was all smiles nowadays. At first it had been a bit disconcerting, but her relationship with Steve really seemed to be going somewhere, seeing as he'd proposed and they were planning on getting married in the summer.

"I really didn't think I'd ever be this happy again after the whole fiasco with Sam," she said, playing with the empty sugar wrappers.

"I know what you mean," Jacob replied. "After Bella, I thought I was too broken to ever fall in love again." But he had and it felt even better than anything he'd ever felt for Bella.

"Where is Alex anyway? I was hoping I could catch the both of you together."

"She's on a case," Jacob said and Leah rolled her eyes.

"She's gonna get herself killed on one of her cases."

"I think she'll be fine. Charlie asked her to find a girl's dad. Her mother just died and he has to take care of her," Jacob said, sounding a lot surer than he felt. That was technically her assignment, but with the mother being murdered, he was sure she'd try to snoop into the homicide investigation as well.

"Poor girl," Leah said sympathetically. "It's always terrible to lose a parent." Jacob could see the pain in her eyes. Leah had loved her father more than anything. Seth had always been a little closer to his mother than his father, but Leah had a deeper connection to her dad.

They remained silent for a moment. "So, I've decided to have the wedding on the fifteenth of August. Alex said you'll still be here then."

"Yeah, if everything goes to plan," Jacob said.

"I can't believe you're going to the University of Washington," Leah said, shaking her head and smiling.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said sarcastically.

"Don't get me wrong," Leah replied, "I always knew you had the brains for it, I was just worried that the whole pack thing would keep you back. I feared you would just waste away in this little town and never realize your full potential."

"I have to thank Alex for that," Jacob admitted. He'd always wanted to go to college, but he hadn't been able to envision the possibility, not with everything that was weighing him down here in La Push. Alex had talked him into going anyway. He'd joined a Calculus crash course the last summer so he could go into AP Calculus in his senior year. It had been six weeks of intensive studying and he didn't think he would have pulled through with it if Alex hadn't kept pushing him.

"She's good for you," Leah said. "You need someone in your life who'll keep you going, who'll make you reach for higher things and I think Alex is perfect for that. Maybe it sounds cruel, but I'm glad you and Bella didn't work out. She wouldn't have been able to do that. Bella prefers the easy way out. With her you probably would have been stuck here or in some other town as an assistant in a car repair shop."

Jacob was sure she was right. With Bella he would have stayed in La Push and worked hard to get the money for a secure future. Maybe Bella would have gone to college or gotten a job right away. They would have probably been married by the time they were twenty-one and have children by twenty-three. She always needed a plan. Her life was a timeline of events to be ticked off, just what Alex was afraid of.

He supposed there was nothing essentially wrong with the life he would have had with Bella, but Leah was right, he would have been stuck in some small town with a low-wage job, slaving away to take care of his family. He would have done it, of course, but suddenly the thought was no longer as desirable as it had been when he'd still been in love with Bella. He wanted to get out of La Push, see what he was capable of. He wanted more. And he had Alex to thank for that and he was certain, no matter what, she would be there to help him reach any goal he wanted.

Alex made no plans. She lived in the here and now. If any of them found good opportunities Alex was willing to go wherever life took them.

"God, Leah," he said, rubbing his face with both hands. "I love her so much."

She laughed. "Just look at us," she said, still smiling. "Who would have guessed the two of us would ever feel this good again."

* * *

><p>"Do you want something to eat?" Alex asked as she led Seth into the kitchen.<p>

"Was that a rhetorical question?" He smirked at her and she admitted that it was a stupid question.

"I've got some lasagna in the fridge."

"Did you cook it?" he asked tentatively. Alex rolled her eyes at him. She knew she wasn't exactly at home in the kitchen.

"No, your mom did."

"Okay, then I'll have some of it," Seth said with a grin. Sighing, Alex took the lasagna out of the fridge and put a large portion on a plate to heat up in the microwave. At least the microwave was something she could operate.

"Don't think I don't like having you around, but, just out of curiosity, why _do_ I have you around?" Alex asked, turning to Seth, who'd sat down at the kitchen table.

He pulled a face. "Charlie's with Mom."

Alex nearly dropped the bowl of lasagna that she carried back to the fridge. "Seriously? He told me he would be at the station all day because of the murder investigation."

"Yeah, well, he's been at our place since noon," Seth said, getting up to get his food out of the microwave.

"Since noon, huh?" She couldn't believe this! He'd tried to make her feel guilty for sleeping with Jacob only three months into their relationship. Oh, he had not heard the end of that one!

"Yeah, I just couldn't stay there anymore. Stupid enhanced hearing!" Oh, this was fantastic!

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Alex said, leaning down and hugging him from behind. She liked the idea of Charlie getting together with Sue. If they married she'd have Seth and Leah in her family. They were already like family anyway.

"You don't have to listen to your mother doing… _that_." He shuddered.

"Actually I did," Alex said honestly. Her mother had never bothered hiding her activities with men from Alex. Eventually she learned to ignore it.

"Right," he said sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Doesn't matter." She was finished with the past. Her life in Detroit was nothing but a nightmare now. She wasn't ever going back. And she didn't have to. She found a home and people who loved and cared for her.

"If he starts staying overnight, can I crash on your couch?"

"You could," Alex said, smiling at him apologetically. "But I'm afraid it wouldn't be much better here. If Charlie's not in the house, Jake and I can… well… be loud."

Seth groaned. "You've got to be kidding me." He sighed, finishing off the rest of his lasagna. "Fine, I guess I could ask Sam if I can stay at their place. Emily's so round I doubt they're still doing it." Alex decided not to comment on a pregnant woman's libido. Let Seth find out for himself.

_Poor kid_, she thought with a smile. She could only imagine what he was going through. At least he didn't resent his mother for beginning a new relationship two years after his father's death.

"You don't mind, do you?" Alex asked.

"About Mom and Charlie? No, I'm just happy she's happy. Besides, we'd be like siblings then." He smiled at her that sunny smile that reminded her so much of Jacob.

"Cousins, technically, but yes, we would be," she said, smiling back. "Do you know how Leah's taking it?"

"Fine, I think," he answered. "She just made some joke about '_staying safe_' before she left to see Jake."

Alex released a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. She'd been a bit worried about Leah's reaction. She'd loved her father so much and now Charlie would take his place in Sue's life. Leah really could have made things difficult for them.

"You don't really seem surprised that they're together," Seth noted.

"I'm not." After all, Charlie had spent as much time with Sue as possible and she was taking care of him, occasionally cleaning the house and cooking for him. She'd noticed a certain attraction between them even the first night Sue and her children had been over for dinner when Alex had first come to Forks. She'd expected this to happen eventually, though she admitted she had expected it to take a little longer. Charlie was a bit awkward when it came to relationships and she'd thought he'd take things slower.

"Listen, Seth, I've got to go," Alex said, looking at the clock. "I've got an appointment in Port Angeles."

"An appointment?"

"Yeah, with my gynecologist and after that I'm going to meet up with the director of the Morris Academy for the case I'm on."

"Gynecologist? You're not…" His eyes had widened in horror.

"No, Seth, I'm not pregnant," she assured him, rolling her eyes. "Some people go to their doctors for simple routine checks." Plus she needed a new prescription for her pills.

"Why don't you go to the one in Forks?"

"Cold hands," she replied with an exaggerated shudder, making Seth snicker.

"Okay, I'll let you go. Can you give me a lift over to Sam and Emily's?"

"Sure." She grabbed her keys and headed for the door, waiting for Seth to catch up.

Alex watched as the secretary typed away at her computer with long, bony fingers that ended in long, fake, glaring red fingernails that clashed painfully with her carrot red curls and the bright pink horn-rimmed glasses. The woman just didn't look like someone Alex would let near children.

"Ms. Swan, yes?"

She looked up at the elderly, balding, round man who came towards her. "I guess you're Mr. Morris," Alex replied, getting up and shaking the director's hand.

"Indeed," he said. "We talked on the phone earlier."

"Thank you for seeing me so quickly," Alex said, following him down the hall to his office.

"Jennifer is a very special girl," Mr. Morris said. "I'm just glad we are able to help her."

"Well, hopefully we can get her hooked up with her dad soon," Alex said, stepping into the office after Mr. Morris. There were bookcases covering every wall with a huge desk in the center and a dark-green leather chair behind it. The floor was covered in Persian rugs.

"It's no problem for us to keep her here. Almost half the kids live here," Mr. Morris said.

"Aren't some of the kids pretty young to be in boarding school?"

"Their parents all recognized their children's talents at an early age." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk and Alex moved towards it as he took place in his own chair. "They understood that enrolling them in the Morris Academy would be the best way to fully realize those talents."

"Yes, I heard. _Gifted Children_," Alex said. "So this is some little Einstein Academy?"

"Some of our children are prospective writers, scientists, mathematicians. We have one ten-year-old boy that can work out cube roots faster than a calculator and recall pi to twenty-two thousand decimal places."

That sounded pretty impressive though Alex couldn't really see what that boy would ever do with those talents except maybe make guest appearances in some talk shows. "So what's Jennifer's gift?"

"She's an artist," Mr. Morris said with pride. "Her drawings show a grasp of imagination, proportion and composition well beyond her age." He handed Alex a map.

She looked through the map of Jennifer's pictures. They really were a lot better than what to expect of an eight-year-old. "Did her dad ever come and visit her?"

"You mean since he abandoned her and her mom?" There was obvious contempt in Mr. Morris's voice.

"You're not a fan."

"Well, he was something of a negative influence. Always scoffing at what Jennifer did in this school, always fighting her growth. He always wanted to move away, but Caitlin didn't want to. Well, until recently anyway. She was planning to move." That was news to Alex.

"I guess some men are not supposed to be fathers," Alex simply said, closing the map and putting it on the desk. "Did Caitlin say why they were moving out of town?"

"I assume it was for work," Mr. Morris answered. "I had given her some recommendations for schools in the east."

"Mr. Morris," a woman's voice called him and he looked up to the door.

"Ah," Mr. Morris exclaimed cheerfully, gesticulating to the young woman who entered his office with Jennifer Gubler. "And this is Karen, Jennifer's art teacher."

Karen looked nice enough, more like the sort of person Alex would feel comfortable leaving her children with. "She and Jennifer have a very special relationship," Mr. Morris added. Alex watched Jennifer for a moment as she smiled up at Karen. Like when Charlie had shown her the video of Jennifer's interrogation, Alex had the feeling like the girl wasn't as sad about her mother's death as she would have expected. Of course, sadness manifested in many shapes, so maybe Jennifer just wasn't prone to showing it.

"I'm very lucky," Karen said. "Jennifer made a painting for my room today."

"Jennifer," Mr. Morris said, "this is Ms. Swan, she would like to talk to you. Karen and I will be just over there." He pointed to the single window in the office, the only wall space not occupied with bookshelves.

Jennifer rounded the desk to come sit in the chair next to Alex's. "Tell you what, if I can call you Jennifer, you can call me Alex."

"Okay," the girl said, smiling.

"Okay," Alex repeated. "So, do you like it here at the Academy?"

"It's good," Jennifer answered. "All my friends are here."

"Well, it's good to have friends. Everybody needs someone to look out for them, right?" Like Jacob would always do for her. "How about your Dad?" She watched as the smile dripped off the girl's face, being replaced by a sad expression. "Do you think you could live with him?"

"Daddy doesn't want me," Jennifer replied.

"Did he ever come by when your Mom wasn't around?"

"No," she answered.

"He ever call?"

"I told you, he hates me," Jennifer said. What kind of father would leave his child under the impression that he hated her?

"You know… it might feel like that, but I bet he doesn't hate you," Alex said in a soft, consoling voice.

"He left because I was bad," Jennifer said, sounding like she was close to crying. So she wasn't the type to keep her emotions hidden after all.

"Oh, don't say that. That's not true," Alex said, keeping her voice low and calm. "I'm sure your Dad doesn't hate you. Come on, who could hate you?"

"I want to go to my room," Jennifer cried, jumped off the desk and grabbed her back pack with the head of a weird orange, stuffed animal hanging out of it.

"Alright Jennifer," Mr. Morris said.

Karen followed Jennifer out of the room. "It's okay, Jennifer."

Mr. Morris rounded the desk to stand beside Alex.

"Her father really pulled a number on her," Alex said angrily. "She thinks it's her fault the guy took off."

"Children idolize their parents and when a parent abandons them they often absorb the blame." That was a lecture Alex hadn't needed to hear. She was all too familiar with the concept.

Sighing, she calmed her temper down again, returning to business-mode. "So what else do you know about Spencer Gubler?"

"I hope you had a better day with Leah than I had," Alex said when she came out of the shower to find Jacob sitting in front of the television, switching through the channels until he settled on watching _The Silence of the Lambs_. Alex had never managed to see the whole movie and by the looks of it the movie had already started at least half an hour ago so she wouldn't have the opportunity this time either.

"I had a great day. Why? What happened?" he looked at her concerned as she sat down beside him, cuddling up against his chest. Considering she'd only seen him this morning she'd missed his warmth way too much. She had to be careful. As much as she loved Jacob, she did not want to turn into one of those women whose happiness was completely dependent on the men in their lives, who couldn't seem to function right without their partners nearby.

"Jake, can you promise me something?"

"Anything," he replied, kissing the top of her head as his hand caressed soothingly up and down her arm.

"If we find Spencer Gubler, keep me from murdering him, okay?"

He chuckled. "I promise. But I can't take responsibility for my own actions."

She'd forgotten that Jacob used to share a mind with Sam. Sam's father had abandoned him and his mother so Jacob had gotten a front row seat to the trauma that could leave. "That's all I can ask for."


	6. Lucky

**Chapter 06: Lucky**

Alex and Gillian were talking about Alex's case as they walked toward the parking lot after classes ended for the day.

"Oh, for the love of God," Gillian exclaimed, coming to a stop and shaking her head.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, turning to her friend.

"Regina's trying to make another go at your man, that's what." Alex turned back to the parking lot and, sure enough, there was Jacob, leaning against his black Harley Sprint, his arms crossed and a look of boredom on his face. In front of him stood Regina King, captain of the cheerleaders, in her short skirt, twirling a lock of her auburn hair around her finger and flirting. Well, actually, flirting was an understatement. She was hinting heavily that she would spread her legs for him right then and there in the full parking lot. Not with those precise words, but the general meaning.

_Slut_, Alex thought angrily. Regina had started going after Jacob when he'd picked Alex up from school at the beginning of the year. He was without a doubt the most attractive male specimen on the parking lot of Forks High School and that hadn't passed Regina unnoticed.

Since then her car constantly had some mechanical difficulty or another and she would always take it to Jacob. Alex was fine with it. She knew Jacob wasn't interested in Regina and at least that way he was assured a good-paying customer. Still, her blatant advances on Jacob could really annoy the hell out of Alex sometimes.

"Is something wrong with your finger, Regina?" Alex asked calmly as she walked up to them. Jacob's face lit up, Regina's, on the other hand, soured as she turned towards Alex. "Jake's good with an engine, but I'm afraid he doesn't make much of a doctor."

Regina turned red with her anger. She was one of those girls that spent too much time dwelling on her looks and didn't bother much with learning. Alex was pretty sure that she only passed her French classes because she'd been _extra nice_ to the teacher.

Alex stepped around the fuming cheerleader and, admittedly, made a bit of a show kissing Jacob. He happily participated though.

"Don't you have soccer practice, Alex?" Regina asked bitingly.

"Since when's soccer practice on a Tuesday?" Alex asked in mock innocence. "But you should be off jumping around with the rest of your troop of circus monkeys."

Gillian giggled behind Regina, who was staring at Alex in open-mouthed outrage. Unfortunately for her, Regina wasn't the type of girl who had an arsenal of snappy comebacks up her sleeve.

"How dare you?" she snapped at Alex. "We are athletes!"

Alex didn't actually mind cheerleaders. On the contrary, she'd once watched a training session at her old school and some of the stuff they had to do was seriously hardcore. She had the greatest respect for good cheerleaders. And that was the point. Regina wasn't a _good_ cheerleader. Gillian had told her that the team had never been this bad before Regina became captain, throwing out all the old team members and surrounding herself with her just-as-stupid best friends.

"There's a game on the weekend," Alex reminded her. "You should go. You don't want your team to suck even more than it usually does."

Regina remained there for another moment, looking like she wanted to say more, but obviously couldn't think of anything. With a huff she spun around and stormed back to the Gym.

"Hi, by the way," Alex said softly, turning to give Jacob a tender kiss.

"Hi ya back," he replied, grinning broadly, obviously having enjoyed the argument.

"You could have said something, you know," Alex chastised him.

"Hell no, I'm not getting involved in a girl fight," he replied.

"Too late," Gillian said, grinning at him evilly. "You're the reason, so you're already in over your head."

Jacob gave an exaggerated sigh, getting up from his bike and heaving it onto the bed of Alex's truck, which he'd parked next to. "It's such a burden to be this good looking."

Alex pocked him in the ribs and he flinched back.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Deflation. I was a little worried you'd lift off at any moment."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Gillian said, waving at them as she started to walk to her own car.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Alex called after her. She turned back to Jacob. "Is there a reason you're picking me up?"

"Yeah," he said, grinning deviously. "I wanted to see Regina again. She hasn't come by the garage in so long." He ducked out of reach of her swinging fist, but she managed to get a good punch in on his arm. Not that it actually hurt him.

"You really can be a jerk, Jacob Black," she said, grinning at him, ruining the effect of her words.

"And for some reason you still love me." He pulled her against his chest, his strong arms tight around her waist.

"I do," she replied, before kissing him again. It was supposed to be a short, sweet kiss, but Jacob had ways to turn her intentions upside down with just the way his lips moved against hers or his tongue stroked sluggishly over her lower lip, reminding her of how his tongue felt on other parts of her body. Before she knew it, he had her pressed against the side of her car, kissing her with an insatiable hunger that made her moan into his mouth and wetness pool between her legs.

She was only dimly aware of some of her fellow students standing around them, looking pretty damn amused. She pulled back from Jacob only to see his eyes smoldering with desire and she nearly got lost in that again.

"Let's take this some place less crowded, shall we?" she said quietly and he nodded. He pulled her car keys out of her back pocket before letting her go and went around to the other side getting into the driver's seat. Rolling her eyes she opened the door behind her, getting in on the passenger side.

"It's still my car, you know," she reminded him.

"And I'll let you drive once you learn how," he replied, smiling at her.

"I _can_ drive," she said indignantly.

"Maybe as a taxi driver in Istanbul." Again she rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat as he pulled out of the parking lot. Instead of turning towards her home he was taking her towards La Push. "There's a bonfire tonight," he explained even before she could ask. "I thought you might want to come."

Oh, she wanted to _come_ alright! A bonfire sounded nice, too.

Dear God, she really couldn't get enough of what Jacob could do to her body. It felt absolutely amazing with him. Better than with any of her previous boyfriends.

"Keep your eyes on the road, okay?" Alex said. Her loins were already tingling again when she thought of what she was about to do.

"My eyes _are_ on the road. What are you…? Oh, shit!" Quickly she reached over and undid his zipper, freeing him from his pants. "Alex, I don't think–" His words were cut off by a groan when she leaned over his lap, her hand pumping him a bit first, feeling him get harder and harder in her grasp. She could feel the car lurch as he swerved dangerously to the right when she closed her lips around the head of his erection.

Why had she waited so long before doing this for the first time? Giving Jacob head was almost as addictive as having his tongue between her own legs. She loved the feel of him in her mouth and the way he tasted; salty, yet lemony. She also loved the way she could drive him crazy with only a few strokes of her tongue. A woman didn't know just how much power she had over men until she had someone as big and strong as Jacob squirm helplessly under her mouth's ministrations.

"Shit, Alex," he hissed, the fingers of his right hand tangling into her hair, his left still tight on the steering wheel.

With one hand she pumped the part of his shaft she couldn't fit into her mouth as she sucked him off while her other hand fondled his balls.

"Alex," he said warningly and she knew he was about to come.

"Eyes on the road, honey," she reminded him, grabbing his chin without looking up and forcing him to face the street again.

She swirled her tongue around the tip, making him pant, before she let his length glide back into her mouth, taking him as deep as she possibly could. When she reached the tip again she let her tongue flutter up and down.

He exploded with a loud moan and she kept pumping as he emptied himself into her mouth in quivering bursts, swallowing every drop. He was so delicious!

She lifted her head again and for the first time noticed that they weren't on the main road anymore. Jacob had driven off the highway and onto a little secluded forest path.

"Damn, Alex," he breathed. "That was probably the stupidest and sexiest thing you've ever done. I nearly drove us into a ditch." He pulled up to the side of the dirt road and cut the engine.

"I have complete faith in your impeccable driving skills," she retorted, smiling at him.

"Well, that makes one of us," he said, smiling back. His eyes were still dark with want and though he just came in her mouth he was obviously not satisfied yet.

Grinning, knowing exactly what he wanted, she opened her jeans and pulled them off, lifting her hips to get out of them, pulling her panties down as well. No point hurting themselves in the limited space trying to take the other's clothes off. That would just ruin the whole atmosphere.

She watched as Jacob shrugged out of his own jeans and boxers, marvelously erect and hard again. "Shirt and bra, too," he said, looking at her half-naked body. "I want to see all of you."

Alex complied, pulling her shirt over her head a little awkwardly, because she couldn't stretch out her arms the way she wanted, bumping into the ceiling all the time. Jacob pulled his own shirt off just as Alex undid the clasp of her bra, letting the material fall onto the pile of other clothes at her feet.

Jacob grabbed her, pulling her over to his side. The lack of a center console and a bench instead of two separate seats were some of the few things she loved about her 1992 Ford F-150 truck.

She straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with fierce urgency, letting the tip of his erection brush over her entrance, making both of them moan. She reached down between them and stroked him with her hand, keeping the tip just half an inch inside her folds.

"Turn around," Jacob breathed between pants. Alex let go of his shaft and maneuvered herself around a little awkwardly with the steering wheel in the way.

Jacob pulled her close, her back pressed against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder, her knees on either side of his lap, her entrance just hovering above his length.

"I love you, Alex, I love you," he murmured into her ear, his hands coming up from behind, cupping both her breasts.

She moaned as he massaged her breasts, his thumbs stroking over her nipples until they were full and hard. He pinched them lightly, making her cry out as the nerves in her nipples seemed to have a direct line to the spot between her legs that was dripping wet, yearning for his touch.

"Say what you want me to do," he ordered and his dark, husky voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"I want you inside me," Alex moaned, pushing her breasts against his hands. _More, more, more_, her body was screaming. One of his hands trailed down over her ribcage and stomach to the patch of soft curls between her legs.

"Like that?" he asked, entering her with two fingers, grinding the palm of his hand against her clit. His tone told her he knew perfectly well that that was not what she'd meant. But – _oh, God_ – it felt so good!

She moaned as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, his thumb circling her clit. Just when she was about to come he pulled away, massaging her neglected breast again, his lips and tongue sliding over the hypersensitive side of her neck and over her shoulder.

She felt his legs spread a little, forcing her legs further apart. She gasped as the tip of his erection prodded her entrance. She was about to just sit on it, but his hands took hold of her waist, keeping her steady.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she cried, using what little movement she had to rub her folds over him, her juices already soaking him. She could hear his heavy breathing behind her. His legs spread a little wider and so did hers, letting her slide down just a little more, burying his erection an inch or two inside her.

"Jake," she moaned. "All of you. I want all of you." She turned her head to the side to face him and he caught her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue darting into her mouth at the same time he pushed down her hips, burying himself entirely.

She threw her head back against his shoulder, moaning and mumbling unintelligibly. He began rocking her hips back and forth. She knew that this, while stimulating her to a point where she would even forget her own name, had too little friction for Jacob. He let her find her own pace, one of his hands returning to her breast, the other slipping between her legs and rubbing over her clit, making her cry out in ecstasy.

Turning her head again she continued their kiss, their tongues gliding against each other in rhythm to the rocking of their hips as they moaned into each other's mouths. Alex felt the pressure building inside her, the tingling increasing and she knew she wouldn't hold on much longer. Her orgasm took over hard, tearing through every fiber of her body, making her shake and shiver in Jacob's arms. She was reduced to crying out his name over and over again in pure bliss, as he kept up the rocking, hitting that spot inside her with what felt like a gazillion nerve endings over and over.

But Jacob was far from finished. When Alex finally managed to come down from her high, she lifted herself up, off his hard shaft and turned around to face her lover again. She kissed him passionately as she grabbed his erection and led it back to her opening, lowering herself onto it. Jacob moaned into her mouth as she began to lift herself up and down, his shaft nearly all the way out before she came down on him again, burying him up to the hilt.

Jacob grabbed hold of her butt, guiding her rhythm, making her move faster, his hips thrusting upwards at the same time he pulled her down. Their tongues were entwined once again in a heated dance. Alex felt herself climaxing again as he stroked into her harder and with increasing speed.

This time Jacob went over the edge with her and they moaned together as their orgasms hit nearly simultaneously.

_I love you, I love you, oh God, I love you!_ Alex wasn't certain if she only thought those words or if her mouth had actually been able to formulate them.

They stayed there, sweaty, naked, still fused together, their arms around each other and just staring into each other's eyes as the last of the orgasms' aftereffects slowly subsided. Alex leaned down to kiss Jacob again, the kiss deprived of all the hunger and desire now that they were fully satisfied, for the moment at least, leaving behind only a deep, unconditional and irrefutable love.

There was a low vibrating sound coming from underneath them. First neither of them knew what it was, still too wrapped up in their moment. Then it dawned on them and Jacob reached down to search for his cell phone, pushing Alex against the steering wheel and making her accidentally honk the car horn, causing both to jump.

"Damn," Jacob hissed. Quickly Alex slid off his lap, helping him search the pile of clothes for his phone. As these things went the phone had fallen out of the jeans pocket where he'd kept it and had fallen to the floor at the very bottom of the pile.

"Yeah?" Jacob answered the moment he'd finally gotten hold of it. Alex watched as a frown formed on his face. She wished she had his enhanced hearing then she could listen in on the conversation like he did when she was on the phone. "Okay, yeah, we'll be there as soon as possible."

He shut the phone, ending the call. Alex watched as his expression changed from concerned to slightly panicked.

"Jake, what's wrong? Is it your dad?"

He shook his head and Alex sighed in relief. Billy was everything to Jacob and Alex didn't even want to think of the day when he might be gone.

"It's Emily," he rasped. "Her water broke."

For a second or two they remained completely still, just staring at each other, then, as if some sort of spell had been lifted, they hurried back into their clothes, dressing in record speed.

"I thought the baby wasn't supposed to come until next week," Alex said as Jacob turned the car around.

"Guess it decided to be early." He laughed. "Definitely taking after Emily."

Since Emily had decided to give birth at home, Jacob drove the rest of the way to La Push and they arrived at the Uleys' house the same time Embry and Quil came running out of the forest, Quil still pulling a shirt over his head.

"Hey guys," Embry said, smiling at them.

Quil being Quil took in their rumpled clothes and Alex's tousled hair and grinned dirtily.

"If you comment, I swear I'm going to murder you," Jacob growled at his best friend, already anticipating the jabs that were bound to come eventually.

Quil raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, though he was still grinning broadly. "Wasn't gonna say anything."

"Uh-huh," Jacob replied, not believing his friend one bit.

"Come on," Embry said, dragging Quil towards the house. Jacob and Alex followed. Just as they entered the house, a scream of agony tore through it.

The midwife who'd been talking to Sam, who sat on his couch, pale as a sheet with a glass of water in his shaky hands, looked up towards the ceiling. "Sounds like there's a Mommy in the making," she said cheerfully, patting Sam's shoulder reassuringly. He looked like he was about to be sick.

"Sounds like there's a Mommy on _fire_," Alex replied, her own gaze traveling to the ceiling. The bedroom was just above them.

The midwife shot her an angry look, before turning to Sam again. "Deep breaths, Mr. Uley. Everything will be fine." Then the midwife hurried out of the living room and went back upstairs.

"It's okay, Sam." Only now did Alex notice that Rachel and Paul were there, too, coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey," Rachel said, hugging her brother and Alex. They'd become good friends over time, just like Alex had become friends with Emily and Kim. It was inevitable if you were one of the wolf girls.

"Shouldn't you be upstairs with your wife?" Quil asked Sam.

"He was getting on Emily's nerves," Paul replied, grinning broadly as he calmly bit into an apple.

Alex sat down next to Sam, putting an arm around his broad shoulders and rubbing his arm comfortingly, looking at Jacob with a helpless expression. She had absolutely no idea what to do in a situation like this. Jacob looked just as clueless.

Emily cried out again and Sam groaned, sinking in on himself. "I did this to her," he murmured, burying his face in his palms.

"True enough," Paul said, grinning. He didn't seem to be at all disconcerted.

"Yeah, and Jake's working _hard_ on Alex," Quil quipped.

"Which part of '_comment and you'll die_' did you not understand?" Jacob turned on him. He might have given his position of Alpha to Quil and was hardly ever phasing anymore, but it couldn't be more obvious that he still had the greater authority. Not to mention he was taller and stronger than Quil.

Quil, however, did not seem to be very worried. He just shrugged it off, smirking at Alex as if he expected her to blush or something. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, though. She could handle the wolves just fine.

"At least he's getting some," she replied. "How long do you still have to wait?"

The smirk dripped off his face and he huffed. They'd all suggested to Quil that he should find a girlfriend or at least a sex buddy, but Quil had decided that he would wait for Claire to be old enough.

Paul laughed, clapping Alex on the shoulder.

Sam relaxed a little as they continued to banter. It gave the whole situation a feeling of normalcy and seemed to make Emily's screams a little less dire.

"Be happy, Sam," Alex said quietly. "You're about to have a baby."

"Do you guys actually know if it's a boy or a girl?" Embry wanted to know. Sam shook his head.

"Have you got names picked out?" Rachel asked, trying to keep Sam distracted.

"Paige if it's a girl and…" Sam looked up at Jacob, "… we wanted to call a boy Jacob. If you don't mind."

"Really?" Jacob looked surprised. "No, course I don't mind."

"I also wanted to ask you and Rachel to be godparents," Sam added. Jacob stared at Sam for a long while, a wide range of emotions swirling in his eyes.

"It would be an honor," he finally said, smiling brightly.

"Definitely," Rachel agreed.

Alex smiled at Jacob. He'd had a bit of a falling out with Sam in the past when their packs separated. She knew that it had hurt Jacob. Sam was a brother to him and he was beyond grateful to Sam for helping him when he first phased and afterwards taking over the responsibility of being Alpha, giving Jacob time to find that strength in him.

Sam got up. "Guess, I'll go see if my wife will have me back," he said with a weak smile and walked out of the room.

Alex got up, too, and stood next to Jacob, putting her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. His arms came around her back and his head rested on top of hers. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, just enjoying the other's presence, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes before the front door burst open and a whole crowd of people stormed in; Jared and Kim, the Clearwaters and Charlie, wheeling in Billy, Mrs. Uley and Mrs. Young.

Realizing that the living room was about to become extremely crowded, Jacob lead Alex out the back door and sat down on the porch steps, pulling her onto his lap as they overlooked the yard.

Alex began humming the melody of her current favorite song, '_Lucky_' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Remembering some of the text, she sang quietly.

_Boy I hear you in my dreams. _

_I feel your whisper across the sea. _

_I keep you with me in my heart. _

_You make it easier when life gets hard._

She felt Jacob's lips press against the top of her head before he joined her for the chorus. There was no way they would ever manage to get a record deal or anything, but just for the two of them, it sounded perfect.

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend. _

_Lucky to have been where I have been. _

_Lucky to be coming home again. _

_Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh_

_They don't know how long it takes _

_Waiting for a love like this. _

_Every time we say goodbye, _

_I wish we had one more kiss. _

_I'll wait for you I promise you, I will._

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend. _

_Lucky to have been where I have been. _

_Lucky to be coming home again. _

_I'm lucky we're in love in every way. _

_Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed. _

_Lucky to be coming home someday._


	7. Baby

**Chapter 07: Baby**

It was well past midnight before Emily's cries stopped and a new sound invaded their ears. Alex nudged Jacob awake. He'd fallen asleep on the couch next to her.

"Finally," Quil said, stretching in his chair and yawning widely. How they had been able to sleep was beyond Alex. The screaming had kept her awake the whole time and that was just with her normal human hearing. She shook her head as Paul and Jared woke up next. Embry had stayed awake, talking to Billy and Charlie. He'd always been the most sensitive of the guys.

They all looked up expectantly when Sam came down the stairs, grinning from one ear to the other. "It's a boy," he announced. "They're both fine."

Alex frowned a little. Emily hadn't sounded fine at all. Then again, she'd never been present at a birth, so she wasn't sure what was normal.

"Can we see little Jacob then?" Quil asked.

"Not all at once," Sam said. "The godparents and their partners first."

Alex got up, surprised that her knees felt weak. There was a strange feeling of dread in her stomach and she realized she was nervous about the baby. She just wasn't sure why.

Jacob took her hand and led her up the stairs to the bedroom.

Emily looked beyond exhausted, strands of her hair clinging to her sweaty forehead. But she also looked beyond happy, holding a small bundle wrapped in a light blue blanket in her arms. Rachel moved forward immediately, bending down beside Emily and cooing at the sight of the newborn. Paul followed her, looking over her shoulder.

"We should get us one of those," he said. Rachel simply knocked back her elbow into his stomach, making him gasp slightly.

"A baby is not just something you pick up in a store," she chastised him.

"I know," he said, smirking now. "Making a baby is a lot more fun than shopping."

"I beg you to stop talking," Jacob said, closing his eyes and shaking his head like he was trying to get rid of disgusting images. He'd moved to Emily's other side, leaving Alex standing by the door alone.

"Alex, don't you want to see it?" Emily asked and Alex gulped, fighting the urge to bolt from the room. She had a very irrational fear that if she were to see Emily's baby she would want one, too. And that could only end in disaster. She'd never met her father and Miranda had not exactly been much of a mother. She'd never experienced what a mother was like. She had no idea how to handle children, she was already in over her head whenever Quil asked her and Jacob to look after Claire for an hour or two. Jacob was great with children, but Alex just didn't get the hang of them.

"Oh, I'm good," Alex said, her voice sounding croaky.

Jacob rolled his eyes at her, obviously knowing what was going on in her head. Walking back to her, he grabbed her hand again and pulled her to Emily's side, pushing her down on the edge of the bed.

"Calm down, Lex," he said, chuckling. "No one's expecting you to adopt the baby."

"Maybe you should hold him," Emily suggested and Alex blanched.

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea." But before she could continue arguing, Emily was already sitting up and holding out the bundle to Alex, who had no choice but to hold out her arms to accept it, because Emily didn't look like she could hold it up for very long. Carefully Emily placed the baby in Alex's outstretched arms, moving him into the proper position.

The baby wiggled and Alex tightened her hold on it, afraid that it would fall.

"See? It's fine," Jacob said, sitting down beside her and pushing the blanket away from the baby's face. Little Jacob had the same shade of copper skin as his mother and a tuft of black hair on his round head. His face was wrinkled and the eyes closed at the moment.

Jacob reached around Alex to hold on to one of his godson's tiny hands. The small fingers closed around one of Jacob's.

"He's really adorable, Emily," Alex admitted.

"And he doesn't bite, does he?" she chuckled.

Alex noticed that she was feeling way too comfortable and right with Jacob having his arms around her while she was cradling the baby in hers. Shifting the little boy in her arms, she freed one hand to caress over the thin black hairs. God, he really was adorable!

She leaned back against Jacob's chest, relaxing a bit more. This wasn't bad. On the contrary, it felt wonderful.

Alex had told herself long ago that she would never make plans, that she would take life as it came and go wherever it took her. There were only a few things that she believed certain in her future; she would be a cop, a homicide detective preferably, she would see Europe and she would study psychology. Babies had never been part of her future fantasy.

But now that she sat here, with the baby and Jacob, she realized that it would happen someday. She was going to have a baby of her own. And she wanted one. Maybe even more than one. She didn't know if Jacob would still be in her life then, but she hoped he would. She couldn't imagine sharing this with anyone else.

"We could have one, too," Jacob said.

Alex snorted. "Don't get any stupid ideas, Black. We're going to college this fall and then I'm joining the police force. If we're still together after that, we can think about it."

"I'm okay with that," he said, smiling. "As long as you don't rule out the possibility." She definitely couldn't rule it out anymore, that was for certain.

"Can I hold him, too?" Rachel asked. With a nod from Emily Alex handed little Jacob over to Rachel's arms. She definitely seemed to know how to hold a baby better than Alex.

"We'll leave you to rest, okay?" Jacob said to Emily, getting up.

She laughed tiredly. "Hardly," she replied, smiling. "The grandmothers are next." Jacob chuckled and led Alex out of the room and back down to the living room.

"So? Does little Coby have all ten toes and fingers?" Quil asked.

"He does," Jacob replied. Alex didn't participate in the conversations around her, retreating to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water and sitting down at the kitchen table, enjoying some peace and quiet.

She didn't know how long she sat there alone when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Charlie standing behind her.

"Freaked out?" he asked knowingly, sitting down beside her.

"A bit," Alex admitted. Not as much anymore as she had been earlier.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "I had the same reaction back when I first realized I was gonna be a dad."

"I'm not pregnant."

"Neither was Beth – my girlfriend at the time," Charlie said with a chuckle. "It was in our senior year in High School, so we were about the same age you and Jake are now. Her cousin had a baby and I… well, I realized I wanted one. _Someday_," he added pointedly.

"Don't worry, it won't happen in quite a while," Alex assured him.

"I hope not," he replied.

"Jake seems certain though," Alex said, putting her head on her crossed arms.

"Can you picture Jake without a bunch of kids in the future?" Charlie asked, chuckling.

Alex tried, but she couldn't. All she could see was him playing in the yard with his children or coming home from work and watching a Disney movie with them before sending them off to bed. There was rarely a man where Alex had the feeling that he was simply made for parenthood. Jacob was one of those rarities.

"No," Alex finally answered.

"And neither can he," Charlie said simply. "Some people just know it in their hearts, others need to discover it first." Alex smiled. Charlie was rarely this talkative. She must have seemed pretty rattled for him to say so many words in just one conversation – that didn't involve sports. "Beth knew. Renée knew," he said. "They'd always known they'd be mothers."

"I don't know how to be a mother, I never really had one."

"You still have plenty of time to find out how it works and, trust me, being a parent is something you have to learn, more or less, by trial and error. No one's born a natural." He got up and stretched. "Guess I'll go have a look at little Coby and then I'll be going home. Are you going to come home tonight or are you staying at Jake's?"

"I'll probably stay at Jake's," Alex answered, then, not being able to help herself, added, "You could ask Sue over then."

He froze by the door. "You know?"

"Seth came by the other day," Alex explained. "You really should mind his sensitive hearing." Charlie's head suddenly had a very funny resemblance to a tomato. "Hey, I'm glad it's working well between you," Alex said, smiling at Charlie. "But don't give me a guilt trip again about having sex with Jake after only three and a half months of dating. You only waited two months."

"How do you know it's been two months?"

"That's when your old wedding picture disappeared off the fireplace," Alex answered and Charlie nodded in understanding.

"Guess I should have seen that coming, having a detective in the house." With a final "good night" he left the kitchen a little awkwardly, leaving Alex alone again.

Feeling a little better with the world, Alex got up, too, and returned to the others in the living room, finding Jacob on the couch and sitting down beside him, snuggling up against his side.

"You think we can go to your place now?" Alex asked, her eyes already drooping. "I'm exhausted."

"Sure, I just have to wait for Dad to come back down," Jacob answered. She settled against his side a little more comfortably and dosed off a bit. She awoke to Jacob heaving her into his arms, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"I can walk," she said, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Yeah, and run into the door while you're at it," he chuckled.

"Idiot," she scolded playfully. "I'd open my eyes, of course. Besides, you'd hold the door open for me, wouldn't you?"

"Always," he replied quietly and a pleasant warmth settled over her heart.

He set her down by the car and Alex grumbled at the loss of his heat as she clambered into the center of the car, Jacob helping Billy up after her and stowing away the wheelchair on the bed of the truck next to his bike, before getting into the car and starting the engine.

All three of them were silent on the drive over to the Blacks' house, too exhausted for conversation.

Back at the house, Alex waited until the men were done getting ready for bed in the bathroom before going in herself and stepping under a hot shower. No matter the hour Alex couldn't go to bed without having taken a shower first. It was almost obsessive-compulsive. She didn't usually mind, but she hated it when she was already tired enough to sleep blissfully only to be wide awake after the shower.

Alex nearly jumped a foot in the air when the opaque door to the shower opened behind her. "Jesus, Jake, don't do that to me," she snapped, trying to calm down her racing heart as he stepped into the shower and closed the door behind him.

Suddenly it was getting even hotter in here and Alex knew it had nothing to do with the water temperature. The water was running down Jacob's dark, russet skin in rivulets, tracing each muscle underneath it. A man like Jacob simply belonged under a shower – or, alternatively, under a heavy downpour of rain. God be thanked on her knees that they lived in the most rainy place in all of North America! The sight of him made her mouth run dry and other places of her body wet, all exhaustion forgotten.

"Sorry," he said with a smile. If he noticed her arousal he didn't show it, though Alex was willing to bet an arm and a leg that he could smell it even with the shampoo rinsing out of her hair and soaping up the rest of her body.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Alex asked, returning to massaging the rest of the shampoo out of her gold mane. "Don't you shower in the morning?"

"I do," Jacob admitted with a shrug. "But I have the full intention of oversleeping tomorrow morning and at least this way I won't have to hurry through yet another thing."

"Good to know you plan ahead," she replied sarcastically, smiling none the less.

"Besides," he continued as if she hadn't said anything, his voice turning sultry, "if you didn't want me in here with you, all you would have had to do was lock the bathroom door."

"In my defense," Alex replied, "I didn't quite expect you to still be up for a round."

"Guess that's the up-side to being a teenage werewolf." His arms came around her from behind, pulling her up against his blazing hot chest, his face nuzzling the crook of her neck. She could feel him grinning against her skin.

She let herself fall back against his chest willingly, ready to let him do to her whatever he desired, knowing that her pleasure was as much his goal as his was hers. She didn't have the power to deny him and even if she did, she doubted she would use it.

He reached around her and grabbed her shower gel, squirting some on his hand. Rubbing his hands together to spread the gel equally onto both his hands, he smoothed them down her arms down to her wrists before placing his hands just above the trimmed patch of curls between her legs and dragging them upwards over the toned expanse of her stomach, cupping her breasts and massaging them, the soap making their skins slippery.

Deciding she wouldn't let him play this game alone, Alex grabbed his soap and covered her own hands in it before turning around to face him, her hands trailing over every inch of his chest and stomach, leaning up to kiss him passionately.

They probably spent a good fifteen minutes just soaping up every inch of each other's bodies, letting their hands move sensually over all plains and curves, hot water raining down on them. By the time they were back to standing in front of each other again, locked in a tight embrace, looking deep into the other's eyes, they were panting, their bodies shaking with the built-up desire.

As if on a silent signal their lips met in a fierce, almost rough kiss, their tongues battling heatedly, while Jacob pressed Alex's body up against the tiled back-wall of the shower. She moaned at the contrast of the cold tiles on her back and the hot body that pinned her to them.

His hands trailed down her sides, coming to rest on her butt, lifting her right thigh. Without hesitation Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and her right leg around his waist as he pushed into her.

They moaned into each other's mouths, trying to keep it down as not to alert Billy, though he was taking it considerably better than Charlie had at first.

Slowly Jacob stroked in and out of her, the hand that wasn't holding up her thigh to steady Alex, caressing over her face and tangling into her hair. With the wall against her back Alex had enough support to let go of Jacob's neck and let her hands wander over his body; over his broad shoulders, his powerful back, the firm curve of his butt, over his beautiful abs and pecs, up to his shoulders again.

She broke their kiss to place open-mouthed kisses on his throat, feeling the vibration of his moan against her lips. His thrusts picked up speed and Alex let her hips roll against his as she felt herself climaxing. She felt him throbbing inside her and that was all it took for her to fall over the edge.

He kissed her fiercely, to stifle her moaning as her body shook with ecstasy. He came inside her two deep thrusts later, groaning against the crook of her neck where he'd buried his face.

She lifted his head once he pulled out of her, cradling his face in both her hands and kissing him again. He smiled against her lips.

"What?" she asked, pulling back a bit.

He was still smiling broadly, his eyes lit up with joy. "There are just moments when I feel like I'm about to wake up and find that all of this was just a dream and in reality I'm still alone and heartbroken. And then I open my eyes and you're still here and you have no idea how happy that makes me."

"I'll be here as long as you want me, Jake," Alex replied, caressing his cheek. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

He gave a nod, his smile widening a bit more. "Me neither."


	8. Monster

**Chapter 08: Monster**

Alex smiled as the lock gave a satisfying click. Pulling the hair pin out she twisted the nob of the front door and opened it, ducking under the yellow police tape to enter the Gubler house.

"So you think the child's father told the mother where he was staying?" Jacob asked as he came in behind her.

Alex flipped on the light and closed the door behind them. "Well, when guys bail they usually don't worry about staying on the Christmas card list."

"If he didn't tell his wife where he was living, what exactly are we doing here?"

"Even if he didn't tell her he might have left something that will lead us to him." They walked into the kitchen, Alex snapping on a pair of surgical gloves she'd taken from the box that Charlie always kept in the bathroom. She assumed for cleaning purposes.

Apparently the crime scene had not been cleaned up yet. The kitchen table lay on its side, one of the legs snapped off, the mail that had been on it scattered throughout the room, the chairs were overturned and a few of the cabinets stood ajar, one door hanging precariously off only one hinge, and there was a large bloodstain covering the rug.

Jacob made a strangled noise and Alex turned toward him from inspecting the cabinets for anything Spencer Gubler might have left there. "You alright?"

"It's just the smell," he replied, crinkling his nose in disgust. "The blood."

"Not making you sick, is it?"

"No, it's just very strong." She supposed having such heightened senses could sometimes be quite the burden. She couldn't smell anything.

"Well, can you smell anything else? Can you sniff out who did this?"

"I'm a werewolf, not a bloodhound," he retorted, rolling his eyes at her.

"Hey, it was worth a shot," Alex said. "Okay, we are looking for anything he might have… sent her." She rummaged through one of the cabinets that had still been closed. "A picture or a card." Pushing one of the fallen chairs to the side she bent over the strewn out mail. Bills, newsletters, a Florida card from a woman named Trudy, sending her best wishes and gushing over her wonderful vacation, and a big yellow envelope.

Alex picked up the envelope and opened it. She pulled out a folded drawing. It was a child's drawing, depicting a woman lying on the floor of a kitchen that looked just like the one they were standing in now, bleeding and obviously dead, a girl standing above her, smiling, wearing a pink dress with bloody handprints on it and a big orange creature that looked like a Yeti or something of the sort with blood dripping off its talons and sharp teeth standing beside her.

There was a yellow note stuck to the picture that read; "_Caitlin, call me. Karen. May 11__th__._"

"Jake, look at this," Alex said, spreading the drawing on the floor. He came around her and looked at it over her shoulder.

"Vivid imagination," he decided. "What can you expect from a girl who just lost her mother?"

Alex grabbed the envelope the drawing had come in, looking at the sender's address. "_Morris Academy_" it said. Jennifer's art teacher, Karen, had obviously sent it.

"Maybe, but this was dated a week before mom died," Alex noticed. They looked at each other with equal expressions of confusion on their faces.

It had been a while since Alex had been in the _Garden Hill Funeral Service Center_ and the memories weren't exactly the nicest. Still, she had been very glad when she found out that Mrs. Simmons had her daughter's body brought here after the coroner had released it.

"Ah, Ms. Swan and Mr. Black!" Mr. Santiago came towards them, smiling. "It is good to see you again. I still can't thank you enough for the way you've handled… the case."

"I'm just glad none of your other dead clients have walked out of here since," Alex said. She'd retrieved the body of Larry Thompson who'd been under the spell of a necromancer for Mr. Santiago.

"Not lately, no," he replied with a grin. He seemed surprisingly happy considering that it had been his son who'd committed the crime of not only stealing the body, but also of double homicide. She supposed Cameron Santiago hadn't been entirely wrong when he'd said that the dead were more important to his father than his family.

"We wondered if we could ask you a few questions about the Caitlin Gubler murder," Alex said. Though Santiago wasn't the coroner, she knew that he was good friends with Dr. Philip Rogan, who was the coroner in Forks and she was certain they talked.

"Yes, it was quite abnormal," Mr. Santiago said. "Frankly, I was beginning to wonder when you would ask me about it."

He walked them into his office. "A real conundrum. First we, that is to say Phil and I, thought it was a creature or creatures."

"What do you mean? Like dogs or something?" Alex asked, sitting down next to Jacob in front of Santiago's desk.

"Well, only if they started breeding dogs that don't shed and leave no trace of saliva in bites," Mr. Santiago answered.

"Didn't the police find that strange?" Jacob asked.

"The police are trained to ignore things that are too strange," Santiago said.

"Well, let's just pretend we don't find anything too strange," Alex said. "What's your best guess?"

"Nothing anyone could arrest."

"So there are no leads?" Alex admitted she was a bit disappointed. She hoped coming here would give her some more insight. She still didn't really want to consider another supernatural case.

"Well, I know whoever or whatever did it was scared or angry," Santiago told them. "Otherwise it would have stopped when she was dead."

Jacob grabbed the drawing they'd found in the Gubler house out of Alex's bag and held it out for Santiago to see.

"Could something like this have killed her?" he asked, pointing to the orange monster in the picture.

"If it existed," Santiago said with a nod. "Does it?"

"We don't know," Alex admitted. Jacob was certain that Caitlin Gubler was murdered by some monster like depicted in the drawing. Alex was not. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Santiago."

They got up and made to leave. "Anytime."

"Why did you show that to him?" Alex asked when they were walking across the lot back to the car.

"Big claws, big teeth, shown eating mom," Jacob replied, holding the picture out to Alex, who took it and put it back into her bag. "For my money, this isn't a drawing. It's a crime scene photo."

"Alright, you place your bet on the boogey man, I'm going with dad."

"You said yourself nothing's too strange," Jacob said, getting into the driver's seat before Alex could. With a huff she rounded the car and got in on the other side. "So why are you fighting the idea that Caitlin Gubler was killed by that monster in the picture?"

"I'm not fighting it," Alex denied. "I just don't want to settle on just one possibility. Expectation determines outcome. If I settle on a theory, I'm going to find tons of evidence to support it and unconsciously overlook anything that would speak against it."

"So it's just about keeping an open mind," Jacob summed up.

"Don't get me wrong, that picture is strange and I don't think it's coincidence," Alex said, "but I need to see where the clues take me and at the moment we don't have enough to make assumptions."

"Right, because every child draws its mother getting eaten by a giant orange monster," Jacob argued, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It could be psychological," Alex retorted. "You know, abusive father shown as the monster the child sees him as or something of the sort."

"I guess," he admitted.

The rest of the drive they spoke of other things, particularly Charlie and Sue.

"Yeah, Seth came by my house to ask if he could stay for a while," Jacob said with a grin.

"Me, too," Alex said, laughing. "Poor kid."

"Well, it's traumatizing for a kid to see its parents in action."

"Speaking from experience?" Alex asked, grinning at him.

"Fortunately no," he replied. "But Jared did and I had to share his thoughts and feelings about it."

"Which I suppose is just as bad."

"I couldn't look at his mother for weeks," he laughed.

Alex chuckled. "Still, I'm really glad Charlie's finally letting go of Renée. It's been far too long."

"I half expected to end up like that," he admitted.

"I wouldn't have let you," Alex replied. "I would have given you two, maybe three more months and then I would have given you alcohol and seduced you."

He laughed again. "You think that would have helped?"

"You'd be surprised what casual sex can do for you. At the very least it could have given you the feeling that you're not out of the game yet."

"But it wouldn't have been casual, would it?" He was right. She'd already been head over heels in love with him at that time. Even if it wouldn't have meant much to him, it would have been everything for Alex.

"No," she admitted. "It probably would have been the furthest from casual I've ever been even if you hadn't felt the same way about me." And she probably would have ended up a heartbroken mess, just like he'd been before.

"Thank God we feel the same way then." She could only agree to that.

He pulled up to Alex's house and cut the engine. Alex stretched in her seat, her muscles feeling stiff. She glanced down at her watch to see that it was already almost midnight.

"We really should learn to use the daytime wiser," she said. They always ended up coming home so late.

"I think we use it very wisely," he replied with a wolfish grin.

She snorted, not entirely willing to admit that she agreed. "I'll talk to Gillian tomorrow. Maybe she knows what kind of monster we're looking for," she said, holding up the folded drawing.

They got out and went into the house. Jacob slipped into the kitchen, opening the fridge, probably about to destroy whatever leftovers they still had, while Alex went up into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and getting ready for bed.

Jacob came in behind her and grabbed his spare toothbrush.

There were moments when Alex felt like things between them were going way too fast. Aside from the spare toothbrush Jacob also had an entire shelf in her closet for the stuff he kept at her place. And she had a drawer in the dresser at his place. She wasn't sure if it was normal to have stuff at the other's house after only four and a half months of dating.

Then again, having a werewolf as a boyfriend could hardly be called _normal_. Maybe this was just the consequence of sticking her nose into the supernatural world. And she couldn't really complain. Considering that for the past month they'd barely ever slept in their separate beds having a few clothes handy wasn't a bad thing.

"What are you thinking about?" Jacob asked once he finished brushing his teeth. She noticed that she'd been staring into the mirror absentmindedly for quite a while.

"Us," she said honestly.

He raised an eyebrow in what she was sure he meant as a casual gesture, but she could see the spark of worry and fear in his eyes. "Okay?"

"I was just thinking that I'm really happy with the way things are between us. It feels… natural." He nodded, looking very relieved.

"Oh, I thought…" he trailed off, looking apologetic.

"I know," Alex just replied, knowing his insecurities. She gave him a warm smile, letting him know he had nothing to worry about. "Come on, let's go to bed, I'm exhausted." She took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom, letting go when she hopped into bed. Turning onto her side and propping her head up on her palm she watched as he stripped down to his boxers and folding his clothes over the back of her chair.

Alex had never been the sort of girl with inferiority issues. She had a fair opinion of herself and lots of positive reinforcement, but there were times when she still couldn't believe how lucky she was to have someone as wonderful and handsome as Jacob by her side.

"Like what you see?" he asked, smirking and raising himself to his full, impressive height, giving her a full frontal.

"Very much," she replied, grinning back at him.

He rounded the bed and got in behind her, pulling her against his chest. She turned around in his arms so she could face him, letting her hands trail over his upper arms, feeling the hard muscles under the soft skin.

"Do you believe in destiny, Alex?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I prefer free will." He looked at her with confusion so she explained, "if you're predestined to do something then your choices aren't really made freely."

"Alright," he said, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face, letting his fingers trail along her jaw. "Destiny or not, I still feel like this is where I'm supposed to be."

"I know what you mean," Alex replied, smiling at him. She really did. It was so easy to imagine a life with Jacob in it. Not just for now, but until the day they died.

"I'm glad you do," he said and kissed her on the forehead lovingly. He turned onto his back, pulling Alex along until her head rested comfortably on his shoulder, her arm hanging over his middle.

"I love you, Jake," Alex whispered, her words followed by a yawn as exhaustion settled into her every fiber.

"And I love you, Lexy." She still had enough strength left to slap him on the chest for the hated nickname before she drifted off into sleep…


	9. Anger

**Chapter 09: Anger**

Alex didn't have a chance to talk to Gillian until their lunch break on Friday. She'd packed some food so instead of heading to the cafeteria they headed towards the back of the Gym, where they could talk without being overheard. The topic of their conversation wasn't really classified as top secret or anything, but Alex preferred people believing she was sane.

"Okay, you're gonna love me," Gillian announced the second they came to a halt.

"Don't I already?"

"You'll love me more," she amended, grinning. "I checked every classic car restore in the area and found Jennifer's father. He works at _Vince's Vintage Auto_ in Port Townsend."

"Wow," Alex really was impressed. "Gillian, you really are the best." She pulled out Jennifer's drawing. "What do you think of this?"

Gillian took the drawing and looked at it. "Looks like some kid's got a very active imagination."

"No, I mean this," Alex said, pointing to the orange monster. "Could it be anything supernatural?"

"I don't know. Sasquatch maybe," Gillian guessed. "Last time I checked, they weren't orange, though."

"Okay," Alex said, nodding in appreciation for the help. "Do you think you could find out if there's anything that even remotely resembles this?"

"Sure," Gillian said with a shrug. "What are you gonna do?"

"Check out our honest-to-goodness, flesh-and-blood suspect."

The repair shop was nice, Alex thought. Jacob would definitely have a field day here and Alex could appreciate the Old Timers parked out front. Jacob had taught her a lot about fixing cars when she'd first gotten the wreckage that was her truck.

It was already getting dark after the two hour drive to Port Townsend. "Spencer Gubler?" she asked a man, who was stuck under the open hood of a 1969 Chrysler New Yorker. If he wasn't Spencer he might be able to tell him where to find the guy.

"Yeah?" the man answered. So it was him. "Who are you?" he asked, glancing up only briefly.

"I'm here about your wife." She saw as the motion of his hands froze and his back stiffened. Guilt perhaps?

"I didn't hurt Caitlin," he said, standing up. He was a few inches shorter than Alex, but he was well built with broad shoulders. She could see the resemblance to Jennifer in his face immediately.

"I didn't ask," Alex said, grinning, enjoying what was obviously worry. "But guilty denial is always entertaining." She didn't know if he'd killed his wife or not, but he definitely seemed to feel responsible for it.

"My ex-wife is dead. Police obviously don't like exes," he explained his reaction.

"Yo, Spence, I need a hand back here with the beamer." A man had stepped into the room, wiping a screwdriver with a grease-stained dishtowel.

"Okay," Spencer called over his shoulder. "Hey, Ricky, where was I last Saturday?"

"Uh," Ricky thought about it for a moment. "We were watching _Ultimate Fighting_ with the rest of the team. Why?"

"Nothing," Spencer replied, turning back to Alex with a satisfied smirk. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes," he said over his shoulder and Ricky left again. "Now what? Are you gonna arrest me?"

"Who ever said I was a cop?" Alex answered.

"Then why are we talking here?" Spencer asked, starting to get impatient.

"Look, I was hired as an investigator by your mother-in-law. She wants you to come home and take care of Jennifer."

"Tell Clarice to find somebody else," he snapped. "I can't help her." He turned and walked after Ricky.

"You're the kid's father," Alex shouted after him. He waved it off without even looking back at her.

Alex managed to successfully lock all her anger inside for the two hour trip back to Forks. Once there she hung up her punching bag and put on some gloves, venting her anger out by working on her hooks and kicks, elbow and knee strikes. Lieutenant Greene had taught her some Muay Thai back in Detroit so she could defend herself from the groping of her mother's boyfriends.

It was the perfect fighting style for her. It was all about being quick and agile, dodging and striking fast. She could use her legs and knees that held much more power than her arms (compared to a man, at least). It was brutal and aggressive, originally designed for warfare, for bringing down an opponent as fast as possible while causing a great amount of damage. Even though Alex knew just a little more than the basics, it had been useful in the past. She could use the speed and quick reflexes she'd learned in parkour to overcome opponents larger and stronger than her.

Unless her opponent was an actual Martial Artist Alex could deal with him. Or at least that was what she'd thought before she'd first come to Forks and discovered a whole array of creatures that lived amongst humans that wouldn't even feel her punches let alone be stopped by them.

"Did it confess yet?" Charlie asked, standing by the door, watching her movements.

"It will," she replied, not letting up, channeling all her anger and frustration into savage power angle kicks. Through the angle of the hips the foot had a much further way to go, thus gaining much more speed on the way. Unlike in karate, in Muay Thai it was the hard shinbone that connected with the target. On contact, the Muay Thai kick could have a force equal to a baseball bat. That was enough to break a rib or even a leg.

"You found dad?" he asked, correctly placing her anger.

"Yep," she answered. "He's got an alibi. Something happened in that family, Charlie."

"Alex…" Charlie said, his voice indicating that he was about to argue the point. But Alex was certain.

"No," she let off the punching bag, turning to Charlie. "The dad knows, the kid knows. She knows who killed her mother."

"And you still think it's the dad," Charlie assumed. "Look, Christina talked to the girl, the shrink talked to her. They both believe Jennifer doesn't know anything."

"What do you believe?" Alex wanted to know, pulling off her gloves and running a hand through her hair.

Charlie sighed. "Phone records from Spencer's garage show that he did make a call to the school," he admitted.

"So he did talk to her."

"He talked to _someone_. It doesn't prove anything."

"It's a start," Alex argued, still furious, despite her boxing session.

"Ordinarily I'd say trust your gut, but this one worries me." She knew what he meant. Was he right? Was she fixating on the dad because she had issues with parents abandoning their children? Were her emotions blocking her ability to think logically?

"Come on," she said, putting on a convincing fake smile. "Don't worry. You'll get wrinkles."

It looked like she would have to go back to that school. Spencer had talked to somebody there, maybe Jennifer herself. There was definitely something off about the case and Alex was going to find out what it was.

* * *

><p>Jacob could practically feel Alex's bad mood the second he unlocked the front door. He found her in the living room, seething at the television screen. There was some teen movie playing that Jacob didn't know the title of, but Alex had it on mute and was obviously not paying attention to the images either. She was sitting on the couch, wearing a tank top, her lower half wrapped in a blanket, staring into empty space.<p>

Silently he circled around the couch and sat next to her, leaning back and staring at the soundlessly moving pictures. He wouldn't push her, he knew that could end ugly. Instead he waited patiently for her to start. If she wanted and needed to.

"Charlie might have been right," she finally said, letting her head fall back onto the backrest, now looking up at the ceiling.

"What about?" he asked, keeping his voice calm and even, not too much curiosity, not too much indifference.

"About me maybe taking the case a little too personal," she replied.

"You've found the father then." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah," she said. "And he had absolutely no interest whatsoever in the girl."

"Does that surprise you? He left after all." Jacob tried hard not to take the case personal himself. But it was difficult. He knew all too well how the girl must be feeling right now; losing her mother at such a young age, the father abandoning her. He'd had personal experience with the first part. The second part had come from Sam's thoughts. His father had run off when Sam had been a kid, but even today he thought of him, always blaming himself for Joshua Uley walking out. Jacob had always caught Sam's thoughts going in directions like '_if I had behaved better_' or '_if I could have been a better son_'.

And there really was no consoling them. It left deep scars and no matter how much you tried to tell them that it wasn't their fault and their fathers (or sometimes mothers) were simply the lowest form of scum, it made no difference.

Jacob knew how much it hurt, how it left you a wreck. And this poor girl was getting a double dose of the pain.

Alex sighed. "No, not really, but I hoped…" she inhaled deeply, letting the air out slowly. "I don't know. I guess I hoped that his daughter would mean something to him despite everything."

"You think he killed his ex?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so," she admitted. "His alibi is a night out with his buddies from the repair shop."

"Not necessarily the most reliable alibi."

"Charlie's gonna look into it. And I'm gonna talk to the girl again. Something's not adding up right." He wasn't sure what she meant, but Alex was better at this sort of stuff than he was and he knew that her gut instinct was almost infallible.

Suddenly she turned towards him and kissed him. "Hi, by the way," she said, giving him a small smile. She was feeling better apparently.

"Hi ya back," he replied, leaning forward for another kiss.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Anytime." He enjoyed it when he could help her. She let her head drop against his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. "Mind if I change the channel?"

"Go ahead," she said, handing the remote to him. Keeping the television on mute, Jacob switched through the programs and ended up settling on a rerun of _Friends_. He knew that episode pretty well, so he didn't mind keeping the volume off.

"I thought about going to Sam and Emily's tomorrow," Alex said after nearly fifteen minutes of silence. "Will you come with me?"

"Sure, sure," he replied, knowing that the baby still made her a little uncomfortable. Yet curious. "I was gonna head over there one of these days anyway to see my little godson."

"You like that, don't you?" she asked, watching his grin.

"I do," he answered honestly. He loved children and he was very touched that Sam had chosen him as his son's godfather.

Smiling at him, she moved to straddle his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. The blanket fell away and Jacob could see that she only wore a pair of panties underneath. Automatically his hands moved to her hips, stroking over the curve of her butt, giving it a light squeeze. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, still smiling. "What would I do without you?"

"Watch some teen movie with the volume off?" She gave his chest a light slap.

"You're terrible," she said, laughing lightly.

"Admit it, you love it." One of his hands moved to the back of her head, tangling into her hair, while his other rested on her butt, his thumb stroking the skin just underneath the seam of her panties.

"I do for some reason," she said, leaning forward and kissing him passionately. His hands roamed all over her back, slipping under her tank top. His pants were getting painfully tight, the zipper cutting into his growing erection. He moaned in appreciation when he felt her hand move between them and caress the bulge in his pants. The room felt almost unbearably hot and they had hardly done anything yet.

"You're the hottest and most incredible girl in the world," he murmured into their kiss.

She chuckled. "I'm glad you think so." Her lips moved away from his and over the line of his jaw. Jacob closed his eyes to enjoy the feel of her kisses moving gently over his skin. She grabbed his hand and guided it over her breast, along her stomach and down between her legs. She was already damp. "And all of this is yours for the taking." He gasped at her words, nearly exploding in his pants. It was beyond sexy when she said things like that, particularly when he had his hands between her legs, stroking her gently through the fabric of her panties. She was breathing heavily and her heartbeat was going a mile a minute. The smell of her arousal made him dizzy with want as it woke his deepest, most primal desires.

Jacob flipped them over to the side, so Alex was lying on her back on the couch and he was on top of her. He kissed along her throat, tasting her salty skin. She moaned, her hand gliding under his shirt, moving up his back and pushing his shirt up. He sat up for a moment, long enough to discard the shirt, before he settled back between her beautiful, long legs. He wanted to see more of her, so he grabbed the hem of her tank top and pulled it over her head. She obediently put up her arms to let him take it off entirely. She wasn't wearing a bra.

Almost automatically his hand cupped her breast, the mound filling his palm perfectly, the nipple already hard. She moaned into their kiss, her hand undoing the button of his jeans and pushing them down far enough for his erection to be free.

"I want you deep inside me, Jake," she breathed and he groaned as he felt her hand close around his shaft, stroking only very lightly as she used her other hand to push the crotch of her panties out of his way.

If she wanted to get straight to the point, Jacob had absolutely no problem with that whatsoever. He liked their foreplay, no question, but he sure as hell wouldn't mind getting to the really good stuff right away.

He lined up with her entrance and pushed forward, feeling himself slipping into her hot, slick center. She felt so fantastic. Her walls were hugging him tightly and she clenched a bit, making him moan into the crook of her neck as he kissed and sucked the soft skin there. He knew she loved the feeling of it, even though she hated it if she woke up with a hickey.

He pulled out nearly all the way, before pushing back inside her, repeating the motion until she was writhing underneath him, biting down on her lower lip to keep from screaming out in pure ecstasy. Watching her as he pleasured her was thrilling and the added sensation of being inside her, thrusting in an ever more rapid rhythm, always brought him dangerously close to the edge and he had to concentrate everything he had on holding on just a little longer.

She'd been angry tonight and he knew she was blowing off steam, but now, as he moved inside her, his hand slipping between their bodies to play with her clit, there was no fury left. Alex was a passionate woman in everything she did. She pursued her cases passionately, she hated passionately and she loved passionately. There was nothing that Jacob loved more than watching that passion consume her while he held her close, their bodies joined in the most intimate way possible as they moved as one.

"I love you, Jake," she whispered, her back arching, her chest blushing as her orgasm crashed over her body. He stifled her moans by kissing her with all the desire he had.

"I love you, Alex," he replied as the convulsions of her inner walls forced him into his own climax. He kissed her even harder, to keep quiet as he exploded inside her.

He stayed on top of her, his face buried into the crook of her neck again, inhaling her scent deeply. The tips of her fingers caressed over his back, drawing random patterns onto his skin, her legs still wrapped loosely around his.

Her breathing and her heartbeat had evened out and she pressed her lips to his shoulder, still keeping him in place. He was sure that his weight was crushing her, but she obviously didn't mind.

In that moment he was certain that he would never imprint. How could there ever be anyone out there who was more perfect for him than Alex? The lines between friendship and love were practically non-existent in their relationship. They could be whatever the other needed, friend or lover. Alex was his soul mate, he had no doubt about that and he didn't need some twisted, match-making magic to tell him that.

"We should get dressed again," Alex said, though she made no move to leave their comfortable position. "If Charlie comes down for whatever reason and finds us like this he'll go after you with his shotgun."

"I'll risk it for another five minutes," Jacob replied, wanting to enjoy her warmth for just a bit longer.

Alex laughed. "But I won't," she said. "I happen to love that ass of yours too much to have it riddled with bullet holes." Her hand moved over his backside, giving it a firm squeeze.

Grinning, he pushed himself up and pulled his pants over his hips again, fastening them again. "For your sake then."

She sat up and grabbed her tank top, pulling it over her head and putting her panties back in order. He had to grin. She still looked like sex, her chest and face still slightly flushed, her hair in an even greater disarray than usual, her eyes still burning with the lingering desire. He felt his member twitch in his pants. God, he wanted her again!

She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply, her lips molding against his as her tongue darted into his mouth to meet his. "I really, really do love you, Jacob Black," she said quietly when she pulled back.

All he could do was pull her back into the kiss, holding her as close to him as physically possible. Physics, he realized, were a cruel joke of nature. He could never have her close enough even with her chest pressed flush against his with no room between them to spare.

"I love you, too, Alexandra Swan. I always will. Forever."


	10. Betrayal

**Chapter 10: Betrayal**

Jacob watched with amusement as Alex's face contorted into a grimace as the baby started crying again. Admittedly, the sound was extremely annoying, particularly if you had such sensitive hearing as he did.

Emily jumped up off the couch and hurried to the baby's room.

"How do you manage?" Alex asked Sam. He looked up at her with tired eyes.

"Love, Lex. It's all about love," he replied and Jacob chuckled.

Emily came back ten minutes later, falling back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. "Coby must have had a bad dream or something," she announced.

Alex was frowning and Jacob was pretty sure he knew what she was thinking: No kids for her. Again he chuckled. He didn't know what the future held in store for their relationship, but if they remained together he would definitely have a say in this and he wanted children. Noise, smell and everything. And he wanted it with Alex.

He also knew that deep down she wanted children, too. Or at least she wasn't so much against the idea as she had been previously.

Emily went into the kitchen to prepare lunch and Alex followed her. She wasn't big on cooking so Jacob assumed she would just sit to the side and help with small jobs like cutting up vegetables.

"So how are you really holding up?" Jacob asked once the women were out of earshot. Sam practically deflated in his seat, leaning forward and rubbing his tired eyes with both hands.

"It's killing me," Sam admitted. "I wake up every time Coby cries or just twitches in his sleep and when he's not crying my ears are ringing. Damn sensitive hearing."

He righted himself, still looking tired, but happy. "But it's worth it, you know."

"I'm sure," Jacob just said, smiling back at Sam.

"Alex seems a bit more open to the idea of children now," Sam observed, looking towards the kitchen.

"Maybe, but that's nothing we have to decide anytime soon."

"No," Sam agreed. "You finish the University first and then you can see where life takes you." He remained quiet for a moment, looking at Jacob intently. "I'm proud of you, you know. I'm glad to see that you're making something of yourself despite… certain complications."

"That's one way to put it," Jacob said with a snort.

"That's why I wanted Coby to be named after you," Sam continued. "Of all the pack members I have no doubt you'll go furthest in life. And I hope my boy can look up to his godfather and namesake one day even if…" he hesitated, swallowing hard, "… even if he's doomed to suffer our fate."

Jacob's heart plunged into his stomach. He hadn't thought of that. But naturally, their sons – and maybe even their daughters – were at high risk to carry the gene that would turn them into wolves. He'd always wanted children, but could he really force this lot onto his own children? Burden them with the responsibility of it?

* * *

><p>"I told you, he doesn't want me," Jennifer insisted. Alex was back in Mr. Morris's office on Monday evening, sitting on the edge of his desk while Jennifer sat in the chair in front of her. "I made him go away."<p>

"Kids don't make grown-ups do anything," Alex said softly. "Sometimes grown-ups are just not good with kids, you know? My Mom and I had our difficulties." That was definitely the understatement of the century. "But it's not your fault, okay? I hated my Mom then."

"Do you still hate her?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"Well, I'm definitely not going to vote for her as Mother-of-the-Year any time soon, but…" she broke off. That wasn't really true. If Miranda had just come after Alex during the guardian fight Alex might have been able to forgive her, but Miranda had taken a swipe at Jacob, she'd tried to seduce him, trick and blackmail him and lastly stole the money he'd gotten from the pack and his father. Alex couldn't forgive her for that. "Did your dad ever hurt you and your mom?"

"No," Jennifer said, looking outraged. "Why are you saying that?" She turned to Mr. Morris who was standing by the door, watching them. "Can I go back?"

Before he could answer, Alex pulled out the drawing she'd found in Caitlin Gubler's kitchen. "Just one more thing." She unfolded the drawing, held it up for Jennifer to see and pointed at the orange monster. "Is this your dad?"

"No," Jennifer replied again, still sounding angry. "That's Buttercup." She reached down to her bag and pulled out the orange stuffed doll. It looked like some strange, orange monkey or something of the sort. "See?" she asked, holding the stuffed toy up for Alex to look at it. "Buttercup would never hurt anybody."

"Miss Swan," Mr. Morris said, "I appreciate your concern, but you're upsetting her. Jennifer, it's time for your session, I'll take you down." That was a clear enough dismissal. Jennifer got up and grabbed her bag with her free hand, the other still clutching Buttercup, and followed Mr. Morris to the door.

If Jennifer had drawn her stuffed toy for whatever reason rather than the killer, than they were back at square one and maybe it wasn't supernatural after all. Maybe she should speak with Karen, the art teacher.

Leaving the office, Alex wandered through the school a bit. The art rooms were easy enough to find and Karen was there already.

"Karen," Alex said. The woman looked up and gave Alex a friendly smile.

"Alex, right?"

"Yes. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Jennifer's art?"

"Sure," Karen said, still smiling kindly. "She's got a great eye."

"Maybe more than you know," Alex murmured to herself. She held up the drawing for Karen to see. "You sent this to her mom a while ago."

Immediately the smile vanished from Karen's face. "Maybe this is a bad idea." Right now, Alex loved bad ideas. Bad idea meant striking a rich vein.

"You also talked to her father, I think," Alex continued. "Spencer called here and talked to someone. It wasn't Jennifer and I don't think it was Morris."

"I was worried about her," Karen admitted. "I _am_ worried," she corrected herself. "She's been drawing things like that for a few months. I spoke to both her mom and her dad."

"Has this something to do with why Jennifer's mom was moving them?"

"I think so," Karen answered. "She wanted to give Jennifer a change of scenery. I thought it was a good idea."

"And the dad?"

"It was like he already knew what was going on with her and it seemed like he didn't care."

"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling, too," Alex said with a sigh. But that didn't explain why Spencer Gubler left. "Was there anything else going on that had you worried besides the picture?"

"It wasn't just _a_ picture. It was pictures." She reached down to a drawer in her desk and pulled up a stack of papers with drawings on them. All of them were obviously Jennifer's and all of them had bloody themes.

"When I first saw these pictures, I knew that Jennifer was gifted. I showed these to Mr. Morris and he agreed. He even made her one of his special students."

"Special students?" Alex asked, looking at a picture of the orange monster killing three students in a hallway full of lockers.

"Mr. Morris takes a special interest in the brightest and most talented kids. For him it's all about letting children's talents take them as far as they can go. But the pictures became more and more violent."

"Does this represent her dad? Some kind of abuse?" Alex asked, pointing at the orange monster that appeared over and over in the pictures, though not in every one of them. That theory, however, was starting to make less and less sense.

"I don't know," Karen admitted. "I'm not a psychologist I just wanted somebody to get her some help."

* * *

><p>Mr. Morris hurried back down the hall. So Karen thought she could go behind his back and give that little wanna-be detective crucial information? Well, she would see where that got her. He'd been in this business for way too long to let little Nancy Drew destroy it.<p>

He reached a door that practically blended into the wall. It would have been invisible if it weren't for the keypad on the wall next to it. He swiped his card through the slot and punched in his security code. The door slid open and he walked through it.

This was where his best students, the ones who were truly, magnificently different, could hone their skills. There was a seven-year old girl, who could play chess better than any pro, a boy who could guess which card the tutor was holding up without seeing it and a boy who could solve the Rubik's cube in under an hour.

But none of them were as special as Jennifer.

She was sitting in a room by herself, holding Buttercup tightly. "Hello, Jennifer," Morris said, smiling at her. "Hello, Buttercup." He sat down on a chair next to Jennifer. "I think we have to talk."

Jennifer looked at him expectantly, clutching Buttercup even tighter to her chest. "We have a problem, Jennifer," Morris said. "With Karen."

"Why? Karen is my friend," Jennifer said.

"You're my friend, Jennifer. Karen has lied to us. She's sent a picture of Buttercup to your mom. That's why your mom wanted to move."

"She wouldn't do that," Jennifer defended her teacher.

"She did," Morris insisted. "And now she's talking to the other woman."

"Why?"

"Because they want to take you away and they want to take Buttercup away from you. They know that Buttercup hurt your mom."

"He didn't mean to."

Morris was careful to hide his glee at the girl's distress. _Get her riled up enough_, he thought. "They don't care about that, Jennifer. Karen is talking to her now, trying to take you away."

"She shouldn't do that," Jennifer said angrily, the room around them suddenly shaking like there was a small earthquake.

"I don't want to hurt people," she said quietly.

"It's not you, Jennifer. I told you, it's Buttercup," Morris explained. "Let Buttercup loose. You should be angry. Karen wants you out of her class. She hates you." He knew he'd struck a nerve.

"Then I hate her!" the girl shouted, squeezing her eyes shut as the walls around them shook even harder. Finally.

* * *

><p>Alex looked up in alarm as the room around them shook, the lights flickering on and off. "What is that?" Could it be an earthquake?<p>

"I don't know," Karen said, looking around frantically. Both of them jumped when one of the lamps on the tables exploded, quickly followed by a hanging light, throwing the room into a sort of twilight.

Alex only just saw something materialize in front of her, a large, orange figure, still mostly translucent and not really a physical form, before she was thrown back by a swipe of the creature's arm. She landed hard on the floor.

"Alex," Karen shouted.

Alex lifted herself up high enough to turn to Karen. "Run!"

Karen started running, but before she could get far the creature swiped at the fixture of a fluorescent light on the ceiling, bringing it down on one side, hitting Karen. Karen screamed as the electric charge tore through her body and then fell motionless to the floor.

Alex scrambled back up onto her feet and hurried over to Karen, dodging the swinging light, still sparking off electricity. The creature was gone and the ground seemed to settle, the tremors subsiding.

Feeling for a pulse on Karen's wrist, Alex dialed the number for an ambulance. Luckily Karen wasn't dead, but she had probably suffered some severe damage.

Alex stood back while the paramedics carted Karen out to the ambulance. She was just about to follow them when she saw Charlie running towards her.

"You come to accident scenes now?" she asked him as he came to a stop in front of her, looking her over like he was searching for any injuries. Aside from a bruise on her side she was fine, though.

"The paramedics called, said you were involved. What happened?"

"Ah, see, this is where it gets complicated."

"When you say that it usually means that we're about to take another trip into the twilight zone." Charlie sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Alright, come on, let's discuss this somewhere a little more private."

He ushered her out of the school and to her car. His cruiser was parked right next to her truck. He leaned against the hood and looked at her expectantly. "So, what happened?" he asked again.

"I'm not sure," Alex admitted. "Suddenly some giant, transparent creature appeared in the room, smashed me to the ground and hit Karen with a light fixture."

"Leave it to you, Alex, to always get involved in the weird cases," Charlie said, shaking his head.

"To be fair, you were the one getting me involved."

"You were supposed to find the father."

"Which is what I'm working on. I've found him, but he wants nothing to do with Jennifer and I want to know why. Karen was the one he called at the school and I wanted to know what they were talking about. But I have the feeling that I might have found Caitlin's killer. Or at least… I think I did." Alex couldn't quite get comfortable with the idea that there was a monster behind all this. It would have been logical, seeing as she'd stood right in front of it, but something about it just didn't make sense. The creature had had no real physical form. It had been more like a ghost and the last time she'd met a ghost, she doubted he could have hit her like that monster in there had.

Jacob was already waiting on the couch when Alex got home. "Hey, how did things go?" he asked, getting up and pulling Alex into his arms. She immediately felt a tension ease out of her shoulders that she hadn't even noticed being there earlier.

They sat down and Alex quickly explained what had happened to Jacob.

"So I was right," he said, sounding just a bit smug.

"I guess," Alex just answered, still wondering about that monster. It didn't feel right and if she'd learned anything over the years, it was to trust her instincts.

He gave a frustrated snort. "You still don't think so."

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "We just have to wait and see. I'm definitely talking to the dad again."

"I'm coming with you," Jacob said. She'd expected as much. Now that he knew that whatever had killed Caitlin Gubler could strike again at any time, he was not about to let her out of his sight.

"Be careful," Charlie warned. "Both of you." With that he got up and wished them a good night before going up to bed.

With a sigh Alex cuddled up against Jacob's side and tried to pay attention to the movie that was playing. She loved _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, but tonight it couldn't keep her mind occupied enough. So she waited to be certain that Charlie was asleep, then turned away from Sean Connery teaching Shane West how to shoot properly and began kissing the side of Jacob's neck. She could feel him swallowing hard as her lips and tongue moved over his Adam's apple, before moving back up to his ear and nibbling on the lobe. She took deep breaths, inhaling his scent as her tongue tasted the salty flavor of his soft skin.

"Alex," he said, his voice husky and dark with his rising desire. She moved to straddle his lap, her lips moving from his ear along the line of his jaw. He jerked his head to the side capturing her lips in a searing kiss that left her completely breathless and aching for more. But he was hesitant, worried that this might not really be what she wanted after a day like that.

"Distract me, Jake, please," she said quietly, cupping his face with her hands and kissing him again with all the passion and lust she had.

Being the teenage werewolf that he was, Jacob needed no telling twice. His hands trailed up her thighs to her waist, pushing her shirt up in the process. She moaned into the kiss as she felt his unnaturally warm hands on her bare skin. They moved slowly up her sides, pushing her shirt up on their way, leaving tingling paths in their wake.

"I've had you on the couch already, Alex," he said, kissing along her throat as his hands found her breasts and fondled them through the fabric of her bra. She arched her back into the touch, throwing her head back to give him more access.

"You've had me on every surface of the house, Jake," she reminded him with a smirk.

"Then how about we go outside?" he suggested. A shiver ran down Alex's back, the tingling sensation pooling between her legs. They definitely hadn't done that much. In the car, yes, but just once out in the open.

"What about the guys? They're not patrolling in the area?"

"I'd know if they were around." Alex swallowed back her arguments of how he was likely not to pay attention to their surroundings much, because, quite frankly, she didn't care. He had her so turned-on already, she couldn't find it in herself to give a damn if anyone was watching as long as he was touching her. And to think they weren't even naked yet.

She gasped when Jacob suddenly stood up, his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. She clung to his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked to the backdoor that led into the yard. He opened it, his one arm keeping her firmly in place without much effort, and went out into the yard, crossing it to reach the line of the trees.

He turned his head and began kissing her throat again, easily picking his way around the trees and over roots and stones without paying much attention to the way. The forest, Alex knew, was his element. He could probably coordinate through it blindfolded.

Her fingers moved over his shirt-clad, strong shoulders, down his upper arms and up again to caress over his muscular back. She wished he'd finally come to a spot he liked, because she was already throbbing with her want and she could feel the bulge in his jeans, hard and firm.

She gave another gasp when she suddenly found her back shoved against a tree, his mouth and hands attacking her body with reckless abandon. An animalistic growl escaped his throat when her hand brushed over the front of his jeans. The sound of it seemed to reverberate through Alex, causing her body to be set on fire and tremble with anticipation.

She untangled her legs and slipped down onto her own two feet as he worked the button of her jeans. Once it was open he pushed her pants, along with her underwear, down past her knees, crouching in front of her. She couldn't deny that she very much liked the options this position held. She hadn't had the pleasure of his tongue down there in quite a long while.

She moaned as he lifted her left leg off the ground, kissing his way up the inside of her thigh, starting at the knee, while moving her leg to rest on his shoulder. Alex was just standing there, leaning against a tree, completely exposed to his mouth and tongue. Her climax had almost arrived just thinking of what he could do to her like this so she was sure that this wasn't going to take long.

"God, Alex," he hummed, brushing his lips against her folds. The leg she was holding herself up with gave an ominous tremble as fire shot through her limbs. He steadied her by holding her hips in place. "You smell so good."

Her answer was a very inarticulate plea for him to finally touch her. The suspense was killing her as his breath fanned around her wetness. She cried out in pure bliss when his tongue finally found its way to her clit, twirling around it in fast motions before licking over the bud with a fast, hard stroke.

All Alex could do was pant and moan, her hands buried in Jacob's thick black hair as his hot tongue swiped at her wet entrance before sliding into her and plundering her juices.

"Distraction enough for you?" he asked before sucking her clit into his mouth.

She screamed his name as her climax tore through her body, stars dancing against her closed eyelids.

Jacob took one last swipe at her slick folds, before he lowered her leg down from his shoulder and stood up, a smug expression on his face. Her gaze dropped to his pants and she saw that his member was still straining against the material.

In one fluid motion she pulled her t-shirt over her head, looking a Jacob expectantly. He grinned and did the same. Alex bit her lower lip, letting her eyes roam over his perfect body as her hands unclasped her bra. Jacob was busy undoing the button and zipper of his jeans, groaning when his erection was finally freed from its confines, his jeans and boxers dropping onto the floor.

The moment their last articles of clothing hit the dirt, Jacob was back to pushing her against the tree, his lips on hers and his tongue forcing its way into her mouth in a rough manner that made Alex all hot again.

This time he wasted no time, grabbing her butt and lifting her up off the ground. Instinctually, Alex's legs came up to wrap around his waist. He reached between them and positioned the thick head of his erection at her entrance. Recapturing her lips in a heated kiss, he plunged into her, making Alex whimper. She was still tender from her orgasm.

Before she had time to adjust to him filling her to capacity, he pulled out again, nearly all the way, and slammed into her again. They both moaned as their climaxes began to build again.

He picked up the pace, thrusting into her in hard, fierce strokes, that left Alex breathless, moaning and whimpering, her toes curling as she felt herself about to come again.

"Come with me, baby," Jacob whispered against her ear, kissing her just underneath it. That was one of her weak spots and he knew it.

He slammed into her again and Alex could feel the dam break, her climax spilling over her in waves of pleasure and ecstasy as he spilled his seed inside her.

They were both breathing heavily, sweat covering their bodies as they recovered from their high. Jacob still had her pinned to the tree, his forehead resting against hers, his arms wrapped around her to keep the cold at bay.

"We should head back," Alex said quietly, not really wanting to move away from this one bit. But if Charlie woke up and came downstairs to find them missing he'd just worry.

Jacob gave her one final, deep kiss, before he eased his hold on her, setting her down on her own two feet. They quickly got dressed, Alex now feeling the cold chill of the night air against her damp skin.

As they headed back towards the house, Jacob put an arm around Alex's waist and kissed her on the temple. They remained quiet the whole way, just enjoying each other's company.

The television was still running when they came back and Jacob confirmed that Charlie was sound asleep.

"That was definitely different," Alex said with a smile. While the forest was not exactly Alex's first choice of places to have sex, she liked the experience and she wouldn't necessarily say no to a repeat performance.

"Too bad it's over," Jacob said with a sigh.

"Who said anything about over, Mr. Black?" Alex said, smiling seductively. "I'm heading up to the shower now and the door will be unlocked."


	11. Buttercup

**Chapter 11: Buttercup**

Alex shifted again in the car seat, trying to get rid of the discomfort. But that wasn't at all easy. Her back was all scratched up from the previous night. Not that she complained, it had been incredible, but she made a mental note not to take her shirt off the next time they would have sex with her leaning against a tree.

"Are you alright?" Jacob asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah I'm fine," she replied, waving it off. She reached behind her back to reposition her bra, because the clasp was digging into one of the scrapes.

"I should have thought of that," Jacob said with a frown, watching her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Eyes on the road," she reminded him and he turned his head to look back at the road. Not that it was necessary. They were on a perfectly straight road and there wasn't another car in sight. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Jake. Neither one of us thought of the consequences." She could hardly blame Jacob for her discomfort, seeing as she could have used her own brain the night before. It really wasn't all that bad, but the two-hour drive to Port Townsend was just a bit too long.

He looked like he was about to argue, so she cut him off. "Last night was amazing and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He grinned at that and she could see his eyes searching for a dirt road leading into the forest that stretched out on either side of the highway. "Forget it! We have work to do first."

"Aww, come on, Lex," he whined, giving her a fake pout.

"Maybe afterwards."

They drove past the sign welcoming them to Port Townsend and Alex gave Jacob directions to _Vince's Vintage Auto_, where Spencer Gubler worked.

"Oh, I like this place," Jacob said as he pulled up to the repair shop, parking next to a red 1960 Cadillac. Alex had to give him five minutes to walk around the Cadillac and give it a thorough inspection before they could head into the garage. She couldn't help but smile at him. She'd known he'd love this the first time she'd been here alone.

Spencer Gubler was still working on the Chrysler New Yorker she'd seen when she'd visited last week. He looked up at them. "Wasting your time," he called over to them. "I told you, I'm done with Jennifer."

"She's a kid not a poker game," Alex snapped as she approached. "You don't just get to fold your hand when you don't like it."

"You have no idea what's going on so stay out of it," Spencer replied, throwing a wrench into his tool box with a loud clatter.

"You know, I lay awake at night sometimes, praying that one day that will be my style. So far it hasn't happened," Alex said sarcastically. And she was pretty damn sure it never would.

"You don't know her," Spencer said, walking over to his work bench. "Besides, I couldn't help her anyway. Caitlin wouldn't let me."

Alex pulled out the drawing Karen had sent to Caitlin and laid it out in front of him. "So you and your wife had some problems, big deal. Everyone does. When you have a kid you're supposed to be there for them." She could feel her anger taking a hold of her again and tried hard to push it down again. This was not the sort of situation where she could afford to lose control. She needed to keep a clear mind.

Spencer looked at the drawing for a moment. "You people deserve what's coming to you," he said angrily, shoving the drawing back into Alex's hands. "Get out of here." He was about to walk past Jacob when Jacob's arm flew out and cut off his path.

Now it was Jacob who looked livid. He'd recognized Spencer's words as a threat and Alex had already learned that Jacob didn't react well when people threatened her. He pushed Spencer against the wall, holding him there easily with one hand gripping the front of his t-shirt. "Jennifer's teacher was almost murdered by something yesterday and I think you know who or what it was." He let go of Spencer, taking half a step back. He smiled at the man, but even Alex could see that the smile was more of a threat and she admitted to herself that right now, Jacob looked more intimidating and menacing than she'd ever seen him before. "Now, this woman is here to help you, I advise you to be nice."

Spencer stepped away from Jacob, some primal instinct telling him that the man in front of him was not to be joked with. "Alright," he relented, still watching Jacob with trepidation. "You wanna know what it is?" he asked, some of his anger coming back. "Why not? It's not like you'll believe me anyway." He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up to reveal three long, angry red scars on his chest. They looked like some animal with claws had slashed him.

Alex and Jacob exchanged shocked looks. "What did this?" Jacob asked.

"It was Jennifer," Spencer answered, pulling his shirt down again.

"You know, you can start making sense any time now," Alex said.

"You ever have an imaginary friend?" he asked.

"Yeah, the kind that lived in a castle and came for tea parties. None that did that," she replied sarcastically, motioning towards his chest.

"Well, Jennifer's did." Spencer gave a huff. "Even when she was a baby… things started happening. Stuff would shake around her, fall off shelves or even just break," he explained. "Caitlin thought it was poltergeists. Like the movie. Yeah, I know, crazy, right?"

"You'd be surprised," Jacob said.

"Go on," Alex urged. Now that she had him talking, she wanted to hear all of his side to the story.

"Well, when she got older, when something happened, she'd say her doll did it."

"Buttercup," Alex said, remembering the orange, stuffed toy Jennifer had shown her the previous day. "So what? She's psychic?"

"Telekinetic," Jacob corrected her.

"Yeah, that's what Morris said it was," Spencer said. "Her headmaster."

"I met him," Alex said with a nod.

"We found him through a psychologist we were taking Jennifer to. He said he could help us. Said she was gifted. And at first it was great, you know? Things stopped breaking, Jennifer seemed happy. And then, it all changed. Whenever Jennifer wanted something, _Buttercup_ would just take it. And whatever power she had just kept getting stronger."

"Doesn't sound exactly like this school helped much," Jacob put in.

"I told Morris what was happening. He just said it was all under control. I wanted to take Jennifer out of the school. Caitlin fought me. Morris had her all messed up, too." Spencer was running his hand through his short hair, the other absentmindedly rubbed over his chest where the scars were hidden underneath the shirt. "Then, one night, I come home from work, Jennifer had trashed the kitchen. I told her she couldn't keep doing this. She said Buttercup didn't mean it and when I told her that it hadn't been Buttercup, that he wasn't real… she got angry. The room started shaking and the next thing I know I was on the ground with that… _thing_ lashing out at me. I barely survived. So yeah, I think I know what killed Caitlin, but who's gonna believe me?"

"I think you're sitting with the whole club," Jacob said.

"Caitlin was planning to take Jennifer out of that school," Alex informed him.

Spencer gave a snort. "I knew it would turn on her, too. If only she'd listened to me sooner."

"Well, you can still help Jennifer," Alex said, her rage coming back full force at his continued lack of interest in the girl's situation.

"She'll be fine. Her and that thing."

"No, if what you're saying about that school is true, then she is in danger," Jacob replied.

"We need you to take her back."

"She almost killed me once already. I'm not going back for more."

"So what? You're just gonna let Morris turn her into a killer? What kind of father are you?"

"Not a very good one, I guess. Sorry." Spencer marched off, not looking very sorry at all.

"You know what? Call me when you grow a conscience," Alex called after him. She grabbed a notepad on his workbench and scribbled down her number. "Son of a bitch," he cursed under her breath.

"So what now?" Jacob asked. "Not exactly the kind of thing child services is equipped to handle."

"No," Alex snapped angrily. "It's the kind of thing parents are supposed to be responsible for. This guy is leaving his kid high and dry–"

"He has his reasons," Jacob interrupted her tirade.

"Yeah, they all have their reasons don't they?"

"His wife rejected him, his daughter almost killed him. Spencer is not the same guy as your parents, Lex. Or Sam's dad." He held her shoulders, calming her down in the way only Jacob could. "I know what you feel, Alex, but he has his reasons."

She knew he had. Good reasons, too. Still, she couldn't see how he could possibly abandon his child in such a situation. If Spencer didn't take care of her, Morris would make her a monster.

With a sigh she stepped back from Jacob and pulled out her cell phone, walking back towards her car.

"Alex?" Charlie asked when he picked up. "What's going on?"

"We just talked to Spencer Gubler again," Alex informed him, opening the door to the passenger side of her car, Jacob already hopping into the driver's seat. "I found out something about Morris, the guy who runs that school."

"More transparent monster stuff?" Charlie asked sarcastically.

"No, it's Morris," Alex replied. "He's doing something to the kids. To Jennifer Gubler and maybe some of the others."

"What are we talking about? Abuse?"

"No, more like mind control. You know, using their mental powers to kill people."

"I assume you'll explain that in a little more detail when you get home, but I'll take a look at that Morris guy."

"Thanks, Charlie."

"Oh, and Alex, do me a favor and stay away from that school," Charlie added before she had a chance to hang up.

"You should know me better by now," she just replied before shutting her phone. She would go wherever her investigations brought her, if that meant going back to the school then she would do that. But she'd take Jacob with her this time, even if she wasn't sure if he could actually do much if Jennifer used Buttercup again.

"Telekinetic," she said, leaning her head back. "Damn, I definitely wouldn't have thought of that."

"It should have occurred to me," Jacob said. "I've been dealing with a telepath for quite some time, after all."

She knew he meant Edward and was pleased to see that he no longer flinched at the mention of him or Bella the way he used to. "That's hardly the same thing. Plus he was a vampire. We're talking about an ordinary human girl." And up until now nothing had spoken for the girl to be behind her mother's death.

_Oh God_, Alex thought with horror. This was going to traumatize the girl for the rest of her life. Her anger flared again, but this time it was directed at Morris. How could he turn an innocent child into a killer? How could he force her to kill her own mother? He'd ruined her life. No matter how this was going to end, her mother's death would always follow Jennifer. She would always know that it had been her fault.

"Maybe we should stop," Jacob said.

"I know I kind of agreed to this earlier, but do you mind if I take a rain-check?"

Jacob took a moment before he realized what she was talking about, which meant he'd meant something different. "Oh, no, that's not… yeah, rain-check's fine. I meant maybe we should stop with this case."

"_What?_" she blurted out in disbelief.

"Alex, listen, we both… There's too much emotional involvement for the both of us. You with your… family history, me with my mother and Sam's memories… I just think we should leave this to Charlie and the authorities to clean up. Charlie knows what's going on now. If he takes Morris out of the picture, then maybe Jennifer will be fine."

"And just how exactly do you think Charlie should do that, huh? Arrest Morris for the murder of Caitlin Gubler? There's no evidence," Alex said. "Besides, Morris could make Jennifer send Buttercup after Charlie."

"He could make her send Buttercup after you, too," Jacob reminded her.

"Charlie's a cop, I'm not. Morris doesn't consider me nearly as much of a threat. Otherwise he would have had Buttercup attack Karen _and_ me."

They remained mostly silent on the remaining way home until Jacob pulled up the driveway and parked Alex's car in front of her house.

"We'll figure something out, but please try to stay away from that school for now," Jacob insisted. "I've got to go home, Dad's been asking if I still know my own address."

"Alright," Alex said with a sigh. She would have preferred him to stay, but Billy had a right to see his son and he'd definitely been seeing a lot less of him lately. "Will you come by again tonight?"

"Yeah, but it could get pretty late so don't wait up for me." He leaned over and kissed her. She could tell he'd meant it to be a short goodbye kiss, but they quickly found each other glued to one another, deepening the kiss. She felt his tongue stroke over her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She gladly obliged, opening her mouth and meeting his tongue with hers.

Suddenly he pulled away, leaning back against the car seat and taking deep breaths to calm himself. "I really do have to go home," he said. She wasn't sure if he was reminding her or himself.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you tonight," Alex said and got out of the car. Jacob followed suit and they met again when she rounded the car to head for the door. His arms closed around her waist und pulled her against his chest, giving her another kiss, though this one remained fairly chaste.

"Stay out of trouble while I'm gone," he said and kissed her one last time, before letting her go and turning around to start running home.

Alex watched as he disappeared into the trees before she headed inside. She still had some homework to take care of so she sat down and studied, finishing most of her assignments. She looked up to find that it was already dark outside. Having nothing else to do she went into the bathroom and took a shower, taking the time to blow-dry her hair.

Once she was done Charlie was still not home, so she decided to prepare his dinner. It really was just putting the stuff Sue left onto a plate and putting it in the microwave, so it wasn't much of an effort.

When she reached the kitchen she noticed that someone had called while she'd been showering and left a message on the answering machine.

She pressed the play button. "_Hi, this is Spencer Gubler. I just called to say… you're right. I should get Jennifer out of there. I'm on my way to the school right now._"

Alex didn't know if she should cheer or cry. She was glad he'd finally come to his senses, but she had a bad feeling about this. Had she just sent a man to his death?

She was already grabbing her car keys and was on her way out the door, dialing Jacob's cell phone number. The mailbox picked up after ten rings.

_Damn_, she thought, waiting for the beep. "Hey Jake, it's me," she said frantically, getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine. "Listen, I really need your help right now. Jennifer's dad is on the way to the school. We have to stop him or he might get hurt. Meet me there once you get this."


	12. Fury

**Chapter 12: Fury**

Jacob hadn't exactly expected his father to go all out and arrange a little barbeque in their back yard when he'd said they should spend some time together. It had been fun. Jacob couldn't really remember the last time it had been just the two of them. It had definitely been before he'd started High School. He supposed that, with him going off to college in a few months, it would only be fair to spend more time with Billy.

It had started to rain lightly, so they'd moved their conversation into the living room. He faintly heard his cellphone going off in his bedroom, alerting him to a voice mail. "I'll be back in a moment," he told his dad and went to his room to retrieve his phone. He checked the message, seeing that it was from Alex. What could she want? They'd only seen each other a few hours ago.

"_Hey Jake, it's me. Listen, I really need your help right now. Jennifer's dad is on the way to the school. We have to stop him or he might get hurt. Meet me there once you get this._"

"Shit," he cursed, running out of his room and grabbing his car keys.

"Where are you off to? I thought we'd spend the evening together," Billy asked.

"I'm really sorry, Dad. There's an emergency with Alex's case. Someone's probably about to get hurt." He tore the door open and was about to run out, but stopped and turned to his father again. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"That's alright," Billy said, smiling at his son reassuringly. "Now hurry up. And… be careful."

"You know me, Dad, I'm always careful," Jacob grinned.

"Yeah, that's why I'm telling you."

Jacob sprinted out of the house and to his car, jumping in and hurrying to Port Angeles, dialing Charlie's cellphone number.

* * *

><p>Despite the late hour the school wasn't locked, so it was pretty easy for Alex to get in. She didn't even have to fish out her trusty hairpin. She silently crept down the hall, looking around corners. She needed to find Spencer.<p>

She silently opened a door, looking through it first to make sure the coast was clear, then slipped through it and shut the door silently behind her.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Without even having to think about it, she grabbed it and pulled the person forward, pinning the man with his chest to the wall, his arm held behind his back.

"Nine out of ten people who do that later reported that it was a bad idea," she hissed at Spencer, giving his arm an extra twist, making him wince.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trying to stop you from getting yourself killed," she answered. How she was going to do that was still a plan in progress though. She just hoped Jacob had gotten her message.

"I don't need your help," Spencer spat.

"Actually, I think you do." She released him. "Now come on, let's get your daughter."

Alex took the lead, already slightly familiar with the corridors – and being sneakier. They crept through the halls when suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Quick," she ordered, pointing to a corner they could hide behind. Fortunately for her Spencer actually did as he was instructed. Alex carefully looked past the corner to see Mr. Morris walking up to a door. She wouldn't even have noticed there being a door if it weren't for the keypad on the wall right next to it.

They waited until he'd slid his card through the slot and typed in his code, before moving onwards.

Morris was just about to go into the hidden hallway when Alex extended her arm, grabbing his shoulder. He turned around to face her.

"Let's talk _gifted kids_," she said.

"Ms. Swan," Mr. Morris said with a fake smile. He turned to Spencer, who was standing behind Alex, the smile dripping off his face. "Mr. Gubler. I'm sure Jennifer will be delighted to see you." It was plain enough that Morris was not very delighted.

"Let's go," Alex said, pushing him through the door. "Bring us to Jennifer."

They followed him down a corridor into a room with only one window and fluorescent lights. There was a low, round table in the center and Jennifer was sitting there with school books, a notebook and a microscope. Alex couldn't recall even knowing what a microscope was at that age.

"We have visitors," Mr. Morris announced, walking into the room. Alex let him go and stood to the side so Spencer could come in as well.

Jennifer looked up, her face brightening. "Daddy?"

"Jenny, I'm here to take you home," Spencer said.

The girl jumped up, smiling brightly and coming towards him.

"Jennifer," Mr. Morris said warningly and she stopped in her tracks. "He's come to take Buttercup away."

Instantly Jennifer's happy features morphed into anger. She ran back to the table and picked up her orange doll, hugging it tightly.

The lights in the room began to flicker on and off and the ground shook slightly.

"Jennifer, no," Alex shouted, knowing what was going to happen.

* * *

><p>Jacob pulled up to the school, Charlie's cruiser right behind him.<p>

"When this is done, we're gonna have a talk about your driving style," Charlie informed Jacob.

"I was in a bit of a hurry, sorry." He decided he wouldn't argue the point now. His driving had been fine. Lucky for Charlie he'd never seen his niece drive.

"And she's in there?" Charlie asked as they hurried up to the school.

"Yeah. And knowing Alex she's probably hip deep in trouble again."

* * *

><p>"I'm only doing what's best for Jennifer," Mr. Morris said. His voice might have been persuasive if his eyes didn't have a slightly crazed edge to them.<p>

"By turning her into a killer?" Alex shouted at him. The lights were flickering faster and the walls shook more ominously. How much could they take before they gave in and buried them all?

"She's not a killer," he replied.

"Buttercup is, right," she said sarcastically. She knew he didn't believe that. He was just holding up the lie for Jennifer so he could continue to use her.

"Buttercup is very special," he said.

"There is no Buttercup," Spencer interjected.

"There is what Jennifer believes," Morris corrected him. "And the power of the mind can shape reality. Quantum physics proved that."

"You're a quantum nut-job," Alex yelled. "Jennifer lives in the real world."

"The real world is what destroys a child's beliefs and the potential that accompanies them," Morris argued. "I will let Jennifer keep Buttercup alive. And he will give her power that few people can even imagine."

"And you're advising her, right?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer to that.

"Not a chance," Spencer snapped, drawing a gun from the back of his jeans.

Alex jumped back, away from him and Jennifer hid behind Mr. Morris as Spencer trained his gun at him. "Come on, honey, we're getting out of here," Spencer said, waving Jennifer over. Alex didn't need to have the gun pointing in her direction to know that Spencer had just blown his chance to have Jennifer come willingly. On the contrary, he'd just made matters a lot worse.

"Stay here, Jennifer," Morris said. "He wants to hurt Buttercup."

"Spencer, put the gun down," Alex said, extending her hand towards the weapon and inching forward carefully, making no sudden movements. If she could get to him she could push the gun down, but she had to be careful or she'd take a bullet.

"Stop it, you shouldn't do that!" Jennifer yelled. It was the first time she'd really gotten loud and Alex could see the mix of anger and fear in the girl's face. Not a good sign.

An orange blur rushed around the room, passing behind Alex. It was gone by the time she turned around and when she turned back to face the danger of the weapon, Spencer was flying through the air, hit by a great force.

* * *

><p>"I can hear noises coming from here," Jacob said, halting at an almost invisible door. It had a keypad so it would be difficult to break in.<p>

But his niece was in trouble and Charlie would try anything to get her out of it. He slammed his shoulder into the door, but it didn't budge one inch, not even after another three attempts.

"Charlie–"

"A linebacker couldn't budge this thing," Charlie assessed. "We have to find another way in." He'd taken only about six steps down the hall when he heard a deafening crash behind him.

He turned around to see what had caused the racket and saw Jacob standing over the remaining splinters of the door, looking very smug.

"Right," Charlie said. It was still too easy to forget what Jacob was or what he was capable of.

"No need for a linebacker." With that Jacob stepped over the broken wood. Sighing, Charlie followed him. He wished he could go back to being oblivious about the supernatural world. It didn't make his job any easier, but his sleeping that much harder.

* * *

><p>"Jennifer, your dad just wants to help," Alex tried. She was watching Spencer's motionless form on the body, trying to assess the damage from a distance. She wasn't sure what would happen if she tried to reach him.<p>

"No he doesn't," she cried. "He had a gun. That's bad. You're bad, too."

Only the fact that she'd expected it allowed Alex to dodge the swipe of the orange blur.

"Everyone freeze!"

"Charlie, put the gun down," Alex shouted. She was so glad to see him and Jacob as they came in.

Lowering his weapon only slightly, Charlie rushed over to her side.

Mr. Morris was standing next to Jennifer, looking very pleased with himself. Before he knew it, however, he was pinned to the wall with a hand around his throat, staring up into the eyes of a very angry werewolf. "My bet is that with you out of the picture, this will all end."

"Jake, no!" Alex yelled. She knew he was capable of hurting people when they threatened her and at the moment she was threatened. It had only been necessary for him to do it once and he'd given that person a heart attack by phasing in front of them. "Nobody hurts anybody." He looked at her for a moment and she nearly backed away. She'd always known that there was a fury buried inside him, one that he kept at bay with all his will power. But right now it was right there in his face, making his face look more wolf-like than she'd ever seen it before. She needed to defuse the situation. Fast. "Jennifer, that's not what we're supposed to do, right?" She had to stop Buttercup.

The orange blur took another swipe at her, this time she couldn't dodge it completely and the blow sent her staggering backwards. Jacob growled furiously, tightening his grip on Morris's throat.

"Come on, you don't want to do this," Alex tried again, her voice calm and soothing as she talked to the girl. "Tell Buttercup to stop."

"No," Morris choked out.

Again Alex was thrown back by Buttercup, hitting the wall and falling to her knees. There would be considerable bruising, but she couldn't care about that now. She had to make sure that Jennifer and Jacob wouldn't become killers. Charlie helped her back onto her feet, his arm around her to keep her safe.

"Jennifer," Spencer said calmly. He was conscious again, getting back to his feet, leaving the gun on the ground. "Don't let Buttercup do this. You can control him. Don't let him control you."

"I don't have to listen to you," Jennifer cried. "Mr. Morris said so."

"Jenny," Spencer continued, "I love you. I just want to take you home."

"He's lying, you know that," Morris said, Jacob's hand instantly tightening around his neck again.

"Jennifer," Alex began, still keeping her voice soft, "listen, I talked to your dad. He loves you. You have to forgive him."

"You said you didn't forgive your mom either," Jennifer argued.

"Your dad _came back_. For you," Alex said. "He's right here, he loves you and he's going to take you home."

Jennifer looked to her father, then back at Alex and then at Morris. "You lied," she said to him. The shaking walls stilled and the lights stopped flickering. "Buttercup didn't do those things. I did. It was me all the time. And I didn't stop it."

Jacob let go of Morris, letting him sink to the floor, coughing and retching. He stepped back, towards the door. There was still that fury and it stopped Alex from going to him. He backed out of the room, then suddenly spun on his heel and was gone. She wanted to run after him, but she knew she had to let him calm down first or she might suffer Emily's fate. Or worse.

"Daddy?" Jennifer cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. The single word was begging. Begging that he still loved her despite what she'd done.

Without hesitation he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms.

"Hey, you okay?" Charlie asked, seeing the tears that were swimming in Alex's eyes.

"Yeah," she said, giving a small sniff and willing the tears away. "Man, family reunions are a bitch."

Charlie went over to Morris and handcuffed him, leading him out of the room. Alex waited for Spencer and Jennifer, following them out.

"I missed you so much," Spencer said, keeping his arm around his daughter the whole time he led her through the hallway and over the splintered door.

"Me too," she replied.

"We're gonna be okay," Spencer assured her. "You, me and… Buttercup."

Jennifer shook her head, handing the orange doll to her father. "Buttercup's gone."

"You'll be okay, Jennifer," Alex said. She had a dad who'd help her. He'd come back for her. Because he loved her. Not because she was his source for money, like Alex's mother.

They went outside where Charlie was just pushing Morris into the back of the cruiser. It would be difficult to explain what had happened here without giving away Jennifer's secret. Most likely Morris would end up in some sort of mental institution.

Charlie looked up at her, his face showing the tension he was under. She knew why. She'd hardly been the only one who'd seen Jacob's other side tonight.

"I have to go look for him," Alex said and he nodded, though slightly hesitant. She had no doubt that Charlie would get over what he'd seen tonight, he loved Jacob like a son and nothing could ever change that, but he'd need some time.

Alex turned in a circle real quick, looking for the nearest wooded area. There was one right behind the school. She'd start looking there. Making a quick stop by Jacob's car, she grabbed some spare jeans and a shirt. Though he hadn't phased in months, he still kept spare clothes in the car just in case. She didn't know if he needed them, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to be safe rather than sorry.

She made her way through the trees until she found confetti-sized bits and pieces of jeans and a white t-shirt. So he had phased.

"Jake?" she called. "Jake, please, if you hear me, come back." She waited for a moment, but she couldn't hear anything. "Jake, I'm not mad," she yelled, knowing his greatest fear. "I still love you." She could only pray that he hadn't run away too far. Panic spread inside her at the thought that he might never come back, too ashamed and scared that he'd hurt someone.

Just then the bushes behind her rustled and she turned to see the giant russet wolf come out of the undergrowth. His head was hanging and his eyes were filled with sorrow and remorse. She dropped the spare clothes and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his thick neck, hiding her face in his fur as tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. "Don't ever run away from me again, do you hear me?" she chastised him. He gave a whine and she backed off, letting him phase back to his human form.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Jacob said, his voice sounding hollow, as he pulled on the jeans and the t-shirt.

"I shouldn't have to," she replied.

"Damn it, Alex," he shouted. "Didn't you see what happened? I could have killed that guy. I could have…" he trailed off, looking away as his eyes began to swim with unshed tears, his hands balled into fists at his side.

Alex shook her head. "No, Jake, you wouldn't have hurt me. And you didn't kill Morris."

"I lost control."

"We all do sometimes. That's normal," she said, trying to sooth him. She took a step towards him, but he stepped back, keeping the distance between them.

"But normal people don't tear someone apart when losing control."

"Right, because humans are incapable of killing because they lose control," she said sarcastically. "That's why the law distinguishes between murder and manslaughter."

"I'm dangerous, Alex, and legal definitions aren't going to change that," he insisted. "I keep telling myself otherwise, but it's true. Nothing I do is going to change what I am. And…" he snorted humorlessly. "And to think I ever wanted children that I would pass this on to."

Alex swallowed hard, her heart suddenly constricting. "You don't want children anymore?"

"I _can't_ have children."

He turned to leave, but Alex darted forward and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around to face her. She cupped his face with both her hands, making sure he had to keep eye contact.

"Jake, I love you," she repeated slowly, pronouncing every syllable. "_All_ of you." She stroked her thumb over his cheek. "I know… that there's a part of you that's dangerous. I know there may be times when you'll snap. I know all that. I knew that before we became a couple. It doesn't change anything about my feelings for you. This… werewolf thing… is only one part of who you are, one that I don't mind one bit. And there is so much more to you. I want to be with you, Jake. For the rest of my life."

"Alex, don't," he pleaded. "I can't… I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't," she replied. "Please, Jake, don't leave. I don't want to be without you. I can't be without you. You lose control to save me, Jake. Not to hurt me."

He sighed and finally stepped forward, putting his arms around her. Her hands moved to the back of his neck, holding on to him tightly. "I love you," she whispered over and over again until she could feel the tension flow out of his shoulders. He sagged to the mossy ground, pulling her with him, his face buried in her curls. He'd held her so often to comfort her and now it was her turn to sooth him.

"And I will have your children," she said firmly, once he seemed to calm down a bit more. "When the time is right, I'll have your children and I don't care if you'll throw a hissy fit. I want your babies."

Jacob chuckled at that, pulling away a bit. She could see that his eyes were reddened. She reached up to wipe away the wet streaks on his cheeks. "I'll never leave you, Jake. Not unless you want me to."

"I don't want you to leave. Not ever."


	13. Leaving

**Chapter 13: Leaving**

Alex took a last look into the mirror, smoothing out non-existent creases in her taffeta dress. It was olive green, strapless, knee-long, the bottom flaring out. She let her hair fall freely over her shoulders. Since she'd been letting it grow out the weight of it had smoothed out her curls just a little bit. She'd decided not to wear make-up. The prom in La Push was a fairly low-key event.

The doorbell rang and she made her way downstairs. Charlie had already opened the door and Jacob was standing there in black dress pants and a light blue dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top buttons open. He smiled at her brightly, his white teeth flashing against his dark, russet skin. It was almost a pity there were so few events that required him to dress up, because he sure could clean up good.

"You look beautiful," he said, looking her up and down.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, smiling at him.

"I have to make a picture. Billy insisted on it," Charlie said, waving around with his camera.

"That's fine." Alex pulled Jacob to the stairs. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side as they smiled for the camera.

"Alright," Charlie said, satisfied that he'd kept his promise to Billy. "You guys have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do and–"

"Charlie," Alex interrupted. "It's just La Push. What should happen?"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off. "Just go."

They did as he told them and Jacob opened the passenger door for Alex, helping her to get in.

The La Push prom was held in the Community Hall where Sam and Emily had also celebrated their wedding. It was the only building in La Push that was big enough, particularly because they'd combined junior and senior prom.

"Hey guys," Embry greeted them when they got out of the car. He'd come with Gillian. Just as friends.

"Alex, you look beautiful," Gillian said.

"So do you." Gillian had chosen a black, Goth-like dress, with a corset and a lot of lace.

"Come on, let's go inside." Jacob led Alex into the hall. The room had been decorated with balloons and crepe garlands. Like she'd expected, it wasn't all too fancy. Most of the boys hadn't bothered with ties and jackets and the girls' dresses weren't too off the top. Still, a look around told Alex that she would stick out like a sore thumb none the less. There were a few palefaces amongst the Native American students, but none of them were blond and as tall as Alex. Nor were they in the company of the hottest werewolf in town, she noticed with satisfaction.

"Let's dance, shall we?" Jacob suggested, leading her onto the dance floor. There was a slow song playing and she put her arms around his neck, swaying comfortably to the melody.

"I'm glad you agreed to come to the prom," Jacob said.

"I wanted to go to prom," Alex let him know. "I'd wanted to go last year, too, but I'd had to pull a double shift at the diner."

"Well, then I'm glad you agreed to come with me."

"Who else would I want to go with?" she asked, smiling at him.

"I'm sure you have enough admirers to choose from."

"Well, your list of admirers can hardly be shorter," she replied.

"True," he said, pretending to contemplate that. "Remind me again why I came with you?"

"You're absolutely impossible," she scolded him, hitting his arm playfully.

"Just the way you like me," he grinned. He leaned down with her in his arms, dipping her low to the side until she was diagonal to the floor.

"Very smooth, Mr. Black," she complemented him on his move.

"Smooth and impossible, that's me," he said before lowering his head and kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled away and righted her up again.

"God, I can't believe High School is really over," Alex said.

"Yeah, now we're going off to college, live in our own apartment…"

"With Gillian," she reminded him.

"… make our own rules, have all that space for ourselves to do with whatever we want. And _whenever_ we want," he added with a suggestive grin.

"Don't forget Gillian."

"Oh, I'm sure she won't mind. She'll probably be busy with her own suitors."

"I'm going to miss this, though," she admitted. She was going to miss living with Charlie.

"Me too," Jacob said. "It's going to take some getting used to."

"And all the guys."

"But we still have each other. And that's not going to change any time soon."

They stayed for about two hours before they snuck away, heading down to First Beach. It was actually a beautiful night, there were almost no clouds in the sky and the moon was big and bright, its silvery light reflecting in the water.

They'd taken off their shoes by the car and were walking along the water's edge, the small waves lapping at their feet every once in a while. Alex could see the white-washed tree trunk that she and Jacob had sat on when he'd first taken her to First Beach over a year ago. This was where it had all begun. Here she'd become his partner in fighting the demon and from there they'd become friends. And now, as a couple, they would leave this place.

"You're looking awfully melancholic," Jacob noted, halting and pulling her around to face him.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, smiling at him. "It's just… I guess in the end you start thinking about the beginning."

"Yeah, we really did have a very interesting start, didn't we?" He grinned at the memories.

"With me thinking you were a serial killer," she added, chuckling.

"I'm glad we got that misunderstanding out of the way." He leaned down and kissed her, his lips soft and warm against hers. She deepened the kiss by stepping closer, her chest now pressed flush against his.

"I want one more memory of this place," she whispered, her hands moving to the row of buttons on his shirt.

Without saying a word he captured her lips in another passionate kiss, letting her work on his shirt, while his hands softly caressed over her bare arms and shoulders, down her back to the zipper of her dress.

Once she had the buttons all open, she let her hands travel over his stomach muscles, up over his chest and along his shoulders, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He caught it with one hand before it hit the sand without breaking their kiss and let it down a bit more carefully. He didn't have a lot of dress-shirts. His other hand was slowly pulling down her zipper and Alex shivered as she felt his fingers trailing a path down her spine. She wasn't wearing a bra so when the dress dropped to the ground she was standing in front of Jacob in her panties. He took half a step back, looking her up and down like he'd never seen her before, his eyes roaming over every inch of her body.

Alex closed the distance again and continued their kiss while she unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. They dropped next to his shirt and he stepped out of them. Slowly he lowered himself onto the sand, pulling Alex on top of him, caressing every curve and dip of her body. Her own hands were exploring the familiar plains of his body as well as their lips molded against each other slowly and sensually.

Jacob rolled them to the side, pulling away from the kiss. He moved down her body, letting his lips and tongue move along the trails his hands had made before. Alex moaned as the desire built inside her. His every touch seemed like fire on her skin, making her loins tighten.

When he reached her panties he slowly pulled them down, kissing up and down her leg as he discarded them. He made his way back up her body with the same torturous slowness, taking off his own boxers with one hand.

She let her gaze travel down his body and moaned again when she saw that he was already just the way she wanted him.

Jacob settled between her legs, positioning himself at her entrance and pushing in slowly, kissing her at the same time. They both moaned into the kiss at the sensation of him filling her up.

They moved slowly, savoring every second as they made love on the beach, pleasuring each other over and over again.

It wasn't until well after midnight, when the moon stood directly above them, that they slumped onto the sand, spent and completely satisfied.

Alex rolled to her side, her head coming to rest on Jacob's shoulder. Soon they would be leaving Forks and all that would remain were memories. But Alex was sure they'd find a new place to call home. They would go out into the world, making new memories. Together.

Alex couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she packed the last of the boxes into her truck. She looked back up at the house. She would have never guessed that she would one day live in a place like this or that she would leave it to go to college.

The chilly autumn wind whirled up brown leaves from the ground and she watched them dance across the street.

"That's it with the boxes?" Charlie asked, coming out of the house.

"Yeah, I guess so," Alex said, shrugging and motioning over the three boxes in the bed of the truck. There was something disconcerting about moving, particularly if there wasn't even any furniture to be moved in a truck. A lifetime was reduced to just a handful of boxes and if you subtracted clothing, suddenly your entire existence fitted into a shoebox. Years of experience, years of living, and it all fit into a tiny box.

"Billy just called, Jake's on the way," Charlie informed her, looking awkward as he watched her tears flow down her cheeks.

"Okay," Alex said and went back into the house. It was too cold to wait for Jacob outside.

She was glad she'd already taken care of all her goodbyes. It had been hard enough. But she was looking forward to Seattle, too.

They'd found a beautiful, two-bedroom apartment close to campus. Gillian had already moved there the previous week and was setting everything up.

Jacob came about half an hour later, loading two more boxes into her truck. Embry would pick up the Rabbit later on. Jacob had sold it to him since they wouldn't really need more than one car in Seattle.

"Guess it's time to go," Jacob said. They went outside to the car and Jacob gave Charlie a quick hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo," Charlie said turning to Alex. The tears started flowing again and before she knew it she'd jumped into Charlie's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you, too, Charlie," she sobbed. "And thank you. For everything." It was thanks to Charlie that she was here and that she was going to have a brighter future than she could have ever imagined while still living in Detroit. It was thanks to Charlie that she'd had the opportunity to meet someone as wonderful as Jacob.

"I'd do it all over again," he replied, sounding a little choked up.

"I'll stay in touch, I promise," Alex said, pulling away. "And we'll be back for Christmas and the semester breaks."

"Looking forward to it."

She was still crying when she got in the car and Jacob drove off.

"Oh, honey, it's okay," Jacob said, pulling her against his side and wrapping his arm around her securely.

"I know, it's just…" Charlie had been the closest to a father she'd ever had. He'd let her into his life and home and saved hers in the process.

"I know, Lex, I know," he said, soothingly. "But we'll be back. This isn't for forever." Jacob was right. This wasn't the end of it. No matter where life would take them, they could always come back. And she was sure, someday they would…

_The End_

We were strangers, starting out on a journey

Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

No one told me I was going to find you

Unexpected, what you did to my heart

When I lost hope, you were there to remind me

This is the start

And life is a road and I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing

Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

We were strangers on a crazy adventure

Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true

Now here we stand, unafraid of the future

At the beginning with you

And life is a road and I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing

Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

Knew there was somebody, somewhere

A new love in the dark

Now I know my dream will live on

I've been waiting so long

Nothing's gonna tear us apart

And life is a road and I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing

Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

Yeah

Life is a road and I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep going on

Starting out on a journey

Life is a road and I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

"At The Beginning" – Donna Lewis & Richard Marx

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, that's it with Blood Guilt. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten as many reviews on this one as on the other stories, which was why I also didn't update as regularly. Technically there are still several short stories and two mysteries with Alex and Jake waiting to be released. Now, what I want to know, does anyone still want to read them? If not, then I don't see a point in uploading them. If yes, I would very much thank you for some feedback. Thank you and have a very merry Christmas!<strong>

**As always, here's the short summary of the next mystery, _Blood Poison_: **Alex and Jacob have lived in Seattle undisturbed until Alex's new case attracts the attention of unwanted visitors; Bella and Edward are back and with them a whole new kind of turmoil.

**And a short extract, just to fire up your interests (Chapter 06): **

Alex made her way out of the police station and walked through the neighborhood to clear her mind. It wasn't exactly the first time she'd thought about marriage. Having been together so long with Jacob, it naturally made her think of this potential future.

She'd never been able to imagine herself as a wife, but if Jacob asked her how could she possibly say no? Would a marriage change their relationship? She'd met couples that had been together for ten years and more before getting married, only to get divorced a year or two later. They lived together, could there be any surprises left? Anything bad enough to tear them apart?

She had to get this out of her system. She needed to concentrate on her case. When that was done she could worry about her answer. Assuming Jacob eventually asked it.

She looked down at her watch, noticing that she'd been gone a little over two hours. "Shit." She was about half an hour away from the station so she hurried on her way back, almost jogging.

"Hey Lex," Joy greeted her when she entered their office. She was putting together their case files in a box.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, watching her as she put everything they'd worked on into that box.

Joy sighed. "The FBI showed up while you were gone," she said. "They're taking over the case."

"The FBI?" In a local drug case? That made no sense at all. "Tell me what you know."

"There were two agents. Looked pretty young, probably rookies. I swear they're getting younger all the time," she added, shaking her head. "He was tall, the pretty boy sort, pale, reddish-brown hair. She was quite beautiful, too, just as pale, long brown hair. Agents Tolliver and Neeson, that's how they introduced themselves."

A picture was swimming before Alex's mind's eye. A picture that stood on Charlie's fireplace mantle. "If they come back, don't give them anything. They're not Feds."

**Guess we all know what sort of troubles will come their way. If you want to read more, keep an eye out for _Blood Poison_.**


End file.
